


Beautiful Disaster

by SeraphOfTheGay



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Highschool AU, M/M, Mild Abuse, Natsu x Gray, Natsu/Rogue Brotp, Plot Twists, Rogue/Gray Brotp, Sting/Gray Brotp, Sting/Natsu Brotp, Trigger Warning: depression, sting x rogue, stingue, trigger warning: self-harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-05-12 01:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5649184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphOfTheGay/pseuds/SeraphOfTheGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A HighSchool AU revolving around the life of Rogue Cheney, a depressed teenager who is a new student at Sabertooth Academy. Just add a spiteful encounter, a journey of all things bad and good, and a few plot-twists, and what do you get? A beautiful disaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Some People Feel the Rain. Others Just Get Wet.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is the first story I'm uploading on this website, and I'm very excited! This was my first multi chapter Stingue Fic, and I'd appreciate it if you commented or left a review. The number of total chapters is unknown as of right now, but there will be plenty!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New school, new problems. Let me tell you, it ain't a good start. But hey, all good things have bad beginnings.  
> Find out how Rogue's story begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter posted! Enjoy!~

The spiteful feel of pounding rain on the empty streets complimented the mood of the young male making his way across the murky grass to reach his destination. Who knew the first day of school could get any more miserable? The weather was not helping in the slightest; it only added to the anxiety and stress the boy already felt.

Ever since Rogue Cheney's old school, Phantom Lord High, was torn down and abandoned, his feelings of previous sadness only deepened. Rogue loved Phantom Lord; it was the best school he'd ever attended, not to mention the only one. Every day, he spent time with people who appreciated him for who he was, even if it wasn't complete acceptance. It made Rogue feel at home and forget about the death of his father who left him when he was only a child. Phantom Lord had taken him in and given him a place to call home, along with a few companions and a fairly well education. Rogue had so many dreams and future plans that he wanted to accomplish with Phantom Lord, but all of that was crushed and had withered away after the school had been lost and forgotten.

Rogue dragged his feet as his inner self kept pushing him backwards, telling him to turn around and not move forward. Rogue just shook his head forcefully and continued to fight against his own internal feelings. The only reason he was doing this was because his former friend and role model, Gajeel Redfox, told him to seek out a new school by the name of Sabertooth Academy. Gajeel had told Rogue that he would find people there that would accept him as much as Phantom Lord did. Rogue did have his wave of doubts; however, he had no choice but to trust Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer was the only one who knew about Rogue's... problems.

Rogue really wasn't your average every day teen. He was diagnosed with a heavy case of depression, and he had trouble with not self-harming, among many other things.

After a few more dreadful minutes, Rogue arrived at the main doors of Sabertooth Academy. He had to admit it was really nice-looking and pretty large.

Before he entered, he adjusted his clothes to make sure none of his cuts were showing. He was wearing an excess amount of clothing as usual, and today it proved to be sufficient in shielding him from the heavy rain.

Rogue quickly rushed inside, stepping onto the clean, linoleum floor. His footsteps made click-clack sounds as he tried to find the principal's office. He was so astonished by the inside of the school that he didn't notice when he bumped into someone.

"Watch it, loser," the teen growled in an annoyed tone. _So much for nice people,_ Rogue thought. The Shadow Dragon Slayer hurriedly apologized as he watched the teen walk away.

Alright, no more distractions. He had to find the main office so he could get settled in and get started. The office should've been in a reasonable place, right? It was the  _main_ office for a reason, so finding it shouldn't have been that difficult...

After some scurrying around, Rogue was finally able to locate the principal's office. He slowly creaked the door open and squeaked out a small, "Excuse me?"

Principal Jiemma, the principal of the famous Sabertooth Academy, looked up from his paperwork. Rogue expected the principal to be kind and caring, but he just shot Rogue a dirty look. "Oh, it's the new brat. Come in, and make it quick. I don't have all day."

Rogue hesitated at first but slowly stepped inside the room. Jiemma signaled him to take a seat on the chair in front of him, and Rogue obeyed.

"Alright. Here's your schedule." Principal Jiemma handed Rogue a fresh printed sheet of paper, listing all his courses for the semester. "Since it's your first day, I won't punish you for being late. There's only one period left for today, so you may go there as soon as the bell rings which will be in about five minutes. I expect full excellency in this school. Any grade under an A and I will have you kicked out. Understand?"

Rogue nodded, biting his lip from nervousness. He clutched his backpack with sweaty palms. Man, this school was tough already, and it was only his first day. Hell, he hadn't even been here for more than ten minutes.

How was he ever going to fit in? It was Rogue's first day, but not anybody else's. He was a month late into the school year and he didn't know anybody here. Someone already disliked him and the principal was no ray of sunshine either. Rogue came to Sabertooth seeking light and hope but it seemed to bring only more darkness.

The sound of the bell interrupted Rogue's trail of thoughts. Jiemma's cold stare made Rogue immediately sit up and rush out of the office. Once he emerged out of it, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Shadow Dragon Slayer began walking to his assigned classroom, making sure not to bump into anybody. Nobody even noticed as he slipped past them. Rogue was used to feeling invisible; he always mixed in with the shadows and simply observed people from the background without ever getting involved. All of that changed after joining Phantom Lord, but now he was back to square one.

Rogue entered his classroom, and turns out he ended up being the first one there. He took a seat in the far back, avoiding eye contact with his teacher. He couldn't help but notice his pink hair though. Weird how someone could make pink hair look so badass.

Rogue put his bag down on the floor and sunk into his seat. He pulled out one of his novels and slipped on his reading glasses as he began to read the fine print with careful precision. Soon, the crowd started rolling in and the silence quickly faded as an eruption of laughter and loud talking emerged.

The entire class ended up being just free time. Their teacher, Natsu Dragneel, didn't feel like doing anything today so he let them have the entire class period off. Apparently there was some rumor going around that Natsu just wanted some peace and quiet so he could text his husband, Gray Fullbuster. They rarely got to see each other during the day despite working at the same school. 

Rogue ignored everything happening around him; he simply smiled to himself as he continued to read his novel. Books were the only things that saved him from reality as of right now.

Another reason he preferred his book over any social interaction was that he didn't feel like doing any work today. He just wanted to explore the school and get to know where all his classes were so he wouldn't get his ass handed to him by the principal. Only if somebody showed him around, things would've been a bit easier, but that itself wasn't as easy as it sounded. Rogue had major social anxiety; just talking to someone took so much effort. In addition, nobody seemed to notice him at all, so the chances of them helping him were very low. 

There were only a few minutes of class left, so Rogue decided to finish the chapter until the chime of the bell rang through the classroom.

Soon, the dismissal bell rang, and after it had, Rogue could've sworn that he felt someone's eyes on him. He also felt the same eeriness a few minutes ago but he believed his mind was just playing tricks on him. The dark-haired mage shivered, not liking the feeling of being stared at or watched. He grabbed his things and began to pack up as the other students filed out of the room. Even their teacher had left, and the only two people in the room were him and another young male. Rogue looked up and noticed his features. He had spiky blonde hair and deep, sapphire eyes.

"Whatchya lookin' at, newbie?" the male asked.

Rogue blushed in embarrassment and looked away quickly. "Nothing. S-Sorry."

The blonde sighed and walked over to Rogue, making the shadow mage's whole body tense up. He didn't like when people came near him, or stood so close to him for the matter. This person could sense the uneasiness coming from Rogue, but he stood close to him anyway. "Hey, you. What's your name? I haven't seen you around here before. You new?"

"R-Rogue. Rogue Cheney. A-And y-yes, I'm new..." Rogue responded shakily.

"Cool. My name is Sting Eucliffe. I feel like you should know who I am," Sting introduced with a grin.

Rogue forced a small smile, thinking that this was a nice gesture. He realized he was wrong the second he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his back as the blonde boy shoved him into the back wall.

"Remember me and remember me well. Don't think you are the star of this school just because you're new and different," Sting grimaced with a devilish smirk.

Rogue had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but he immediately began shuddering. He never knew he'd be bullied on his very first day.

"I-I wasn't trying to..." Rogue stuttered with a pleading tone as Sting gripped his throat.

"Save it for someone who cares," Sting spat, keeping the smirk on his face. He reached for the cloak draped around Rogue and ripped it off, receiving a small cry from his victim in response.

Rogue couldn't believe his luck today. He tried to leave, but Sting grabbed his arm and held it in a death grip. Tears brimmed in his eyes. The world was so, so cruel to him. Every time he tried to look for hope, he only ran into more darkness. Was this what the world really was to him? Just an endless path of darkness and nightmares? Was there no light to be found?

"I don't like people like you. You make me sick." Those words hit Rogue like a bullet. How many more people would treat him like this? Rogue just wanted to leave. He used all of his efforts to pull away, but they failed miserably. Sting continued to harass him to the point where he felt completely helpless. At least an hour had passed, and Rogue tried one final time to escape Sting's death grip.

"Don't try to escape, little punk," Sting warned through gritted teeth. "Haven't you learned your lesson? This _is_ a school, after all." He pulled harder and tore the fabric of Rogue's long-sleeved shirt.

At that very moment, Sting's grip loosened. His eyes widened in shock from the sight before him. Numerous cuts covered Rogue's pale arm, now clearly visible, and Rogue's own crimson eyes gleamed with frustration, embarrassment, and fear. The second Sting let go, Rogue grabbed his cloak and backpack and raced out of the room, not leaving a second to spare.

Sting was left completely speechless, his mouth agape. He stood there, staring off into space until all the lights turned off in the school and the sound of the door shutting echoed in the distance. The torn fabric from Rogue's shirt was clutched firmly in his gloved hands. Sting cursed at himself under his breath, calling himself an idiot numerous times for what he just did.

"Why the hell am I such a jerk...?!" he shouted at himself.

It was an unforeseen realization. Sting felt a sudden wave of past events flooding into him as he remembered all the times he treated someone like shit. In total, it went way over one hundred. He had no idea why he did such things; it was like he didn't know right from wrong. Maybe it was because he'd practically lived in fear of Principal Jiemma's strict rules which drove him to go insane. He felt that he needed to test people's strengths to see if they were really capable of surviving here.

Sting Eucliffe clenched his fists in anger and gritted his teeth together. Normally, he wouldn't care if someone thought he was a jerk or called him an asshole. But this time, it was different. Way different. He actually felt bad. He felt so horrible. Something he hadn't felt in years. The feeling was new again, and he didn't know how to deal with it, but he knew one thing he had to do. Apologize.

 _It was no wonder this new kid didn't fight back. He was self-harming! Which could only mean one thing: he is depressed,_ Sting concluded _._ This really hurt him on the inside. Memories flooded through his mind again and he shook his head violently, trying to push them away. Now was not the time for a walk through memory lane.

Sting's dad had died from depression, so despite Sting being a complete jerk on the outside, he had a soft spot for depressed people. He was just so frustrated at himself at this point. He was so stupid for not knowing that Rogue was suffering from such a terrible condition. He punched the wall, creating a big dent as a result. Starting tomorrow, he was going to treat him better. Rogue was probably going to be terrified of him and everything else, but it didn't matter.

This wouldn't be easy for sure. But he had to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the beauty of high school problems. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter.


	2. Too Late to Apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin Bieber asks, "Is it too late now to say sorry?" Well the answer is yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update! Kudos/Comments would be appreciated :D

Rogue let out a small noise of distress as the sun hit him in the face the next morning. He groaned and turned over, pulling the covers up and over his head. He wasn't in the mood to go to school today. He was afraid he would run into Sting again, in which he mostly likely would, and didn't want to go through that horror once more. 

Rogue decided to stay home and ditch school until he realized how much trouble he'd be in if Principal Jiemma found out he was absent on his second day. Would the principal even care? Rogue doubted it, but maybe he would. It was hard to tell; his head hurt from not being able to come to a conclusion. He kept fighting with himself on deciding whether or not to go to school, but eventually in the end he knew he had to go.

The light that sparked inside of him before he entered Sabertooth had completely died out after yesterday's unfortunate events. Rogue used to enjoy school so much, but now he just despised it. It's not like the depression was helping in that department either. He dragged himself to the bathroom and quickly got ready before grabbing his bag and heading out, skipping breakfast yet again.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer pushed his way through the main doors of Sabertooth Academy. This time the hallways were completely filled with students, contrasting with yesterday's emptiness.

Rogue held a downcast look in his eyes as he walked past them trying to find out where his first class was. It was hard for him to think straight; his face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of proper sleep.

After mazing around in the hallways for quite some time, Rogue made it to his classroom and walked in. It was the first class on his schedule: Astrology. It was a special course that was offered, and Rogue had been interested in it for a long while. Now he regretted taking the class because of his complete loss of interest on the subject. He entered quietly and again avoided eye contact with the teacher, Lucy Heartfilia. As he made his way to the back seat, Lucy stopped him.

"Hi!" Lucy greeted in a sweet tone paired with a small wave. "You must be Rogue Cheney, our new student?"

Rogue looked up and forced himself to smile a little. He may be depressed, but he never wanted to influence that sadness upon anyone else. He gave her a small nod.

"Ah, I see. We have assigned seats in this class, just so you know." Lucy placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "I just want to keep all these rowdy troublemakers in check, so I'm sorry if your spot is inconvenient. Here, let me show you to your seat." She led Rogue to the far right section of the classroom and told him to sit at the third to last one from the back. Rogue willingly obeyed and set his stuff down. He pulled out his novel and began to read as Lucy smiled at him. She loved the quiet, kind students who enjoyed books, as she was a writer-in-training herself. She walked up to Rogue's desk once again and gave him a warm smile.

"Rogue, we have a test today in class. I wouldn't want to force you take it since you haven't learned the material, but our principal has other ideals, unfortunately." Lucy went to the bookshelf and pulled out a thick, black book with a galaxy cover. She placed it in front of Rogue and turned to a chapter. "We're learning about this. You can study up on it right now since you're early, if you wish. Trust me, it's not too hard, and you look like a smart cookie."

She ruffled Rogue's hair, causing him to wince. He didn't really enjoy being touched, and plus he had some scars on his head that were covered up by his hair. He decided to keep quiet about his pain because he didn't want to seem rude to such a nice woman.

Lucy walked off, heading back to her desk and organizing her materials for the upcoming class. 

While Rogue was memorizing the material listed in the textbook, the morning bell rang. Students began to file in and sit at their respective seats. It was a pretty small class; there were only about sixteen people. Rogue was deep into studying his book that he didn't notice a certain blonde take a seat next to him.

Sting thanked god under his breath because he had been waiting to talk to Rogue as soon as possible.

"Uh...Hey..." the White Dragon Slayer whispered, trying not to catch Rogue off guard.

Rogue's blood ran cold at the sound of that voice. Why did it have to be him of all people?! There was a fifteen in sixteenth chance of it being anyone else, but it just had to be Sting who ended up sitting next to him. Now he was stuck with him for the rest of the year. Rogue mentally cursed at his luck.

"Rogue, about yesterday..." Sting began. His expression twisted into a worried state. 

Rogue refused to make eye contact with him. He pulled the book closer to his face and began scanning through the remaining content. 

"Rogue, please listen to what I have to say!" Sting pleaded.

A tall, tan girl with navy blue hair walked up to their desks and smirked, interrupting the moment. "Wow Sting, you're being pretty nice compared to your usual rude ass manner. Begging for someone to listen to you? Are you sure you didn't hit your head this morning?"

"Oh. It's you. What do you want, Minerva?" Sting asked, ignoring her questions.

"Nothing. Just wanted to say hi to the new kid," she said, looking over at Rogue. "A fragile little one, eh?" She reached out to touch Rogue but Sting slapped her hand away. Minerva raised an eyebrow, and even Rogue looked up in confusion and surprise.

"Look Minerva, just because you're the principal's daughter doesn't mean you can do whatever you want," Sting hissed through gritted teeth.

"Hmpf," Minerva sneered. "Remember who helps you survive in this school, little boy."

"Minerva, you shouldn't be so mean to Sting," another voice said from behind. Her voice was really soft and came out in a cute little whisper. All three turned their heads to a young, short girl with whitish blue hair. 

Minerva rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, sorry Yukino." She looked at Sting who was glaring at her with intense eyes. "Jeez, you really know how to glare daggers. Sorry for bothering you and your little boyfriend."

"You two are still friends, right?" Yukino asked before anyone could react to her last statement.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Minerva looked over at Lucy, who was pointing to the other side of the room. Minerva and Yukino returned to their seats as Lucy wrote the warm up question on the board.

Rogue's mind began to wander now. Did Minerva really just call him Sting's boyfriend? That was the stupidest thing he'd heard all day. There's no way in hell he'd ever want to have a relationship with someone who treated him like shit yesterday, let alone be his boyfriend! Even so, Rogue's heart started beating in his chest, but he was too sulky to notice. Now he had even more trouble concentrating on studying so he simply closed the book and looked up at the board. 

"As all of you are well aware, we have an exam today," Lucy announced as she put the chalk down. 

The color drained out of Sting's face. "T-Test?!"

Minerva chuckled from behind them. "Of course you'd forget."

"I remembered, and I have the entire chapter memorized," a young male by the name of Rufus announced. Minerva rolled her eyes and Yukino giggled. He turned over to the other male sitting beside him and tilted his head sideways. "Orga, did you get all the material we went through yesterday?"

"Yup! All I had to do was put it into a song and BAM! just like that I got it," Orga exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Rufus rolled his eyes but smiled.

Sting raised his hand and Lucy looked over at him as she passed out the tests. "Lucy-San, does Rogue have to take the test?"

Rogue looked at Sting once more. What the hell was he doing? Couldn't he mind his own business?

"I'm afraid so," Lucy answered.

"But that isn't fair; it's only his second day!" Sting complained.

"Will you please shut up?" Rogue spit out. 

Sting looked at him and went silent for a few seconds. "But Rogue-"

"I said shut up," Rogue repeated, his voice quivering with every next word. Rogue tried to be strong but his depression kicked him to the curb yet again. He mentally cursed at himself for sounding like a weak idiot. His anxiety wasn't helping either, and he felt a mass amount of stress wash over him.

Sting didn't say anything after that. He still felt horrible about yesterday, and Rogue wasn't even giving him any chances to help or apologize. Sting knew he had to be patient, so he just took the test and began scrawling at the paper in his messy handwriting. Rogue tried to answer the questions as best as he could but he couldn't remember a thing even though he just went through the material. He bit his lip and prayed for luck despite the fact that him receiving a good score was very unlikely in this state.

The test took up the entire class period, and as soon as it ended, Rogue stood up and turned to leave.

"Rogue, wait!" Sting called. He couldn't wait another day to talk to Rogue because it might be too late to apologize.

"Sting, you are still in the middle of your test! Please focus," Lucy warned. She smiled at Rogue and signaled him to go on. Rogue thanked Lucy and raced out the door, taking the usual desolate path back to his small apartment.

Today was going to be a long day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will have a minor (few weeks) timeskip, I hope you don't mind.


	3. Won't Give Up on Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is that Jiemma is an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Stingue moments in this chapter :) Enjoy.
> 
> There is also slight abuse in this chapter. Nothing described in full detail. Just a warning in case those things make you uncomfortable.

The first quarter had just ended, and Rogue felt even more miserable than usual when his report card came in. He only had one A and the rest were C's and D's. He had tried so hard to keep his grades up but his lack of sleep and overwhelming anxiety plus stress had been restricting him from his goals. He also had trouble concentrating in class and was often tired 24/7.

Ever since the second day of school, Sting and Rogue hadn't spoken to each other. Well, at least not in person. Sting attempted to talk to him a few times after the incident, but Rogue gave him the cold shoulder and shut him out completely. As a result, Sting started sending him little notes in his locker. Every time Rogue opened his locker, a fresh new note would fall out.

Rogue could've even sworn that Sting was starting to follow him home, because he could smell his scent whenever he stepped out of his apartment.

Rogue was really confused about all this. Why would somebody treat him so badly and then try to apologize? Why should anybody need to apologize to him, anyway? Rogue saw himself as a worthless being who didn't even deserve the "gift" of life. He just didn't get why Sting was trying so hard to say sorry when he didn't need to. Rogue didn't want to have to do anything with anybody from this school. He just wanted to be alone. 

The black-haired mage walked up to his locker after his final class period had ended and put in the combination. As expected, a new piece of paper fell out onto his book. Rogue couldn't help but to open it, as he was curious to find out what this one said.

" _Dear Rogue_ ,

_Plz c me after the assemblee today! I hav no idea what the assemblee is for but please come talk 2 me afterwards..I want to tell u something in person. Please give me a chance._

_-Sting_ "

Rogue found a small amount of amusement in Sting's misspelling of the word assembly. Before he could place the note back into his locker with the pile of all the previous ones, the loudspeaker came on.

_"All students please report to the auditorium."_

Rogue closed his locker and shoved the note into his backpack before scurrying into the auditorium. He took a seat in a corner away from the rest of his peers. Principal Jiemma walked in moments after causing the audience to shut up immediately. They were all well afraid of him.

"Today we have a very...special meeting," Jiemma said through the microphone.

Whispers emerged throughout the crowd. They all looked panicked and worried, clearly aware of what this "special" meeting was all about. Rogue stared at a small speck of dust in the corner, completely ignorant to the events around him.

"Silence!" the principal yelled. The room was silent once again.

"Who could it be this time..." Sting mumbled from the other side of the auditorium. He looked at Minerva, who was sitting next to him, hoping that she knew the answer.

"Some poor bastard who's about to have his ass handed to him," Minerva said with a sigh.

Yukino shuddered as she remembered herself being in that position before. One time, she failed to win first place at the state soccer competition and ended up being harassed in front of the whole school. It was a terrible night for her; she ended up being kicked out of the school and forced to do a lot of make up work plus extra tutoring/training to be accepted once again. Since she was close with Minerva, she actually had a chance into getting back in. Without her, Yukino would've never been allowed to step foot in Sabertooth Academy ever again.

"Rogue Cheney, please step forward," Principal Jiemma said briskly.

Sting's eyes widened. "Wait, what the hell? Did I hear that right?" He turned to Yukino and Minerva. "Tell me I didn't hear that right!"

"The new kid? But why!" Yukino cried, her hands trembling. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"I heard his grades have been significantly low," Rufus said from beside them. "That's the reason why."

Rogue looked up from his spot and his eyes wandered in confusion, not knowing what was going on. He slowly stood up and walked towards Jiemma, unaware of the future events yet to come.

"No! Rogue! D-"

Sting was interrupted as Minerva clamped her hand over his mouth. "Idiot! Don't say anything or you'll be next!"

Rogue made it to the center of the room. His muscles tightened as he felt everyone's eyes on him. He didn't like being watched or being the center of attention. He raised his head to the principal and managed out a little, "Y-Yes, Sir?"

"You. You are a filthy piece of garbage! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET ANYTHING LOWER THAN ALL A'S! DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR EARLIER?!" Jiemma boomed, his loud voice piercing Rogue's ears. Rogue faltered and couldn't find a way to answer. His eyes filled with fear. "NOW, LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE DISGRACED OUR ACADEMY!"

Jiemma blasted Rogue with his magic and sent him crashing into the wall ten feet away. The audience gasped, feeling sympathy for the poor soul being thrashed right before their eyes. Sting tried to go forward, but Minerva's death grip held him back.

"Bastard, stay put! If you get involved he'll kill you!" Minerva warned, trying to constrain Sting.

Sting sat there helplessly, watching as Rogue took one beating after the other. He could practically feel the tears in Rogue's eyes himself. "Let me go, Minerva!"

"Sting, you should really listen to her.." Yukino begged, not wanting anyone else to receive the punishment.

"YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO MY SCHOOL. IF I EVER SEE YOU AROUND AGAIN I WILL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?" Jiemma threatened, kicking Rogue's side.

"STOP!" Sting yelled, finally breaking free from Minerva's grasp.

Jiemma was about to place his foot on Rogue's throat but he stopped midway. Rogue was already unconscious at this point. "What the hell do you want, Sting?"

"Let Rogue go! Don't you fucking dare set another finger on him!" Sting warned through gritted teeth. He'd had enough of Jiemma's shit for the past few years, and he'd been tolerating it all this time, but this really crossed the line.

"Like I'd take orders from a meaningless brat!" Jiemma was just about to crush Rogue under his muscular legs but Sting appeared in a flash of light and grabbed Rogue. He skidded off to the side a few feet away, holding Rogue close to his body. His hands started trembling as he noticed all the blood leaking out of Rogue's already scathed body. The dark circles around Rogue's eyes turned even darker from the satanic beating. Fresh cuts were imprinted into his skin.

"YOU...YOU BASTARD! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU TREAT SOMEONE LIKE THIS WITH NO SHAME?" Sting yelled, absolutely furious. He didn't even care about the situation anymore. Standing up to Jiemma was a huge violation and he was breaking a few rules by interfering in an assembly, but he simply didn't give a shit.

Sting wanted to tell everybody about Rogue's condition, but he knew better. It wasn't right to bring up people's problems without their consent, no matter how bad the situation was.

"Sting, I suggest you get your little ass out of here as well. I never want to see the two of you around here again, got it? Take your things and get the hell out of my sight. Filthy bastards."

Sting was so pissed off. He wanted to bash Jiemma's head in but he had more important matters to attend to. Rogue needed help right away. Sting grabbed his stuff along with Rogue's and slung the bags over his shoulder. He picked up Rogue bridal style and walked out of the auditorium, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

___________________

 

Rogue's eyes fluttered open. His whole body ached for some reason unknown to him, and his head throbbed. As his vision came into focus, he realized he was in someone's house. His body was all bandaged up and there was a warm bowl of soup beside him. Rogue used the small bit of his strength to push himself up but immediately shrieked in pain.

"Rogue! You're finally awake! Thank god, I was so freakin' worried, man!" Sting yelled as he came rushing into the room. Rogue was puzzled. What was Sting doing here?

"W-Why are you here?" Rogue asked, not so disturbed by his appearance any more.

"You don't remember what happened?" Sting asked. He sat on the opposite side of the bed, facing the other direction.

"No..." Rogue mumbled. He turned his head to look at Sting. "W-Why are you helping me?"

Sting took a deep breath. "Look, I'm really fucking sorry. I didn't know you were..." He bit his lip. He didn't want Rogue to think that he was helping him only for the fact that he knew he was depressed. "Um, it was a total misunderstanding. You..you don't know how sorry I am...please...if you can find it in your heart to forgive me..."

Rogue sat in silence, unsure of how to answer. I guess he did have to admit Sting was trying pretty hard. Maybe he would forgive him.

Just then, Sting's cellphone rang and he clicked the 'on' button by accident.

"WHAT THE HELL, STING?!" Minerva yelled from the other side. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAVED ROGUE FROM MY DAD! YOU GOT YOURSELF EXPELLED YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

Rogue felt a pang in his chest, unsure of what the feeling was.

Sting immediately shut off the phone. "Sorry about that, um.."

"Sting," Rogue pronounced, looking at him.

"W-what?"

"You let yourself get expelled trying to save me?"

"Um, yeah?" Sting turned away, rubbing the back of his head.

Rogue clenched his fists. "W-what happened..."

"Try to remember, not that I want you to," Sting suggested. He stood up and walked over to the nightstand and picked up the bowl of soup. He sat beside Rogue and lifted the spoon to his mouth. "While you're thinking, I'll feed you."

Rogue turned his head, but his stomach disagreed otherwise. It growled loudly, signaling the fact that Rogue hadn't eaten properly for weeks.

Sting decided to be very firm with him. "Rogue. You are so underweight that it felt like I was holding a feather while I carried you home. You weigh less than our freakin' backpacks. You need to eat for god's sake."

Rogue eventually had to give in. There was something about Sting's words and his manner of speaking that he just couldn't resist. He felt something rising to his chest, but it wasn't a bad feeling like he normally felt. This feeling...it felt warm. He opened his mouth slowly and Sting put the spoon in. Rogue gulped down the sticky liquid and then started coughing.

"Gah, what is this?! It tastes horrible!" Rogue choked.

"S-Sorry...I'm a terrible cook.." Sting apologized, blushing in embarrassment.

Rogue began to laugh a little, and that completely surprised him. He didn't know that it was even possible for him to feel joy anymore.

"Alright ya picky eater, you're gonna have to choke down every last bit of this soup if you want to leave this place. Now try to remember what happened as I feed you my delicacies." Sting shoved another spoonful into Rogue's mouth and he reluctantly gulped it down.

A few minutes passed, and Rogue slowly began to recover his memory. After he managed to finish the soup, he felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes. He could now clearly remember all the beatings he took and how humiliated he felt from being thrashed right in front of the whole school. Tears began bubbling at his eyes before dripping one by one onto the sheets covering him. Sting immediately took notice and set the bowl down.

"You remember..huh.." Sting asked with empathy. He placed his hand on top of Rogue's without thinking.

Rogue's silent tears immediately turned into sobbing. Sting sat there quietly, allowing Rogue to let all of his feelings out. After all, he had been strong for too long. It was time to unlock the feelings buried deep within his heart, even if they came out in waves of tears.

Rogue's sobbing only grew more, and Sting couldn't bear to just sit there anymore. He quickly launched himself forward, pulling Rogue into his chest and buried his face into Rogue's hair. He squeezed Rogue lovingly and tightly, giving him the longing comfort he so greatly needed all these years. Rogue was taken aback by this sudden action, but he didn't mind. Rogue clutched Sting's shirt and cried harder as Sting rubbed his back and whispered soothing words into his ear.

"Rogue," Sting whispered as the Shadow Dragon Slayer's sobbing slowly died down. Rogue sniffled in response. "I know you are going through a difficult time right now, and I just want you to know that I am here for you. Call or text if you need me for anything at all. I already put my contact information into your cellphone."

Rogue nodded slowly, unsure of whether he would be willing to ask him for help whether he truly needed it or not.

"Oh, and one more thing. Until I get Minerva to let us back into the school, I'm never leaving your side. Whether you like it or not. That's a promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sting is actually a big sweetheart, isn't he? Can't say the same about his cooking, though.


	4. Whispers in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fire, some pizza, and a night of singing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: self-harm and cuts mentioned. (short scene)

For a long while, even up till now, Rogue Cheney had trouble sleeping at night. Every time the Shadow Dragon Slayer managed to fall asleep, he would have continuous nightmares, no matter how hard he tried to avoid them.

Maybe it was because of the fact that Rogue lacked REM sleep which was essential for all human beings. Because he was so sleep deprived, his body would often REM rebound to help him get the rest he desperately needed, and that action itself was the main reason he was always plagued into nightmares. 

To prove just that, here he was now up at 3 in the morning, screaming and sweating nervously as a result from another terrible nightmare. Rogue was usually alone, so when he heard a shuffling noise beside him, he nearly fell off the bed from being startled. 

"R-Rogue? Are you okay?" a sleepy voice mumbled.

"W-What the heck are you doing here?!" Rogue shrieked, immediately recognizing Sting's voice.

"Well this is my house," Sting mumbled, rubbing his eyes. 

"Oh..." Rogue muttered, feeling embarrassed. 

"You fell asleep right after we had our little talk, so I decided to let you spend the night," Sting explained, trying not to make things awkward.

"Oh, thank you.." Rogue said with gratitude. "But..Sting.."

"Hmm?" Sting mumbled, trying to stay awake.

Rogue immediately felt bad for making him stay up after picking up signs that he was exhausted, so he quickly shook his head. "Um, no, nothing. Never mind."

This response made Sting suddenly burst with energy as he sat up, pulling the covers off of him. The bed was pretty large, so he had to scoot a few inches to sit right beside Rogue. "No, tell me. I'm listening."

"It's really nothing."

"Rogue."

Rogue simply shook his head and Sting sighed. Again, he knew pressuring a depressed person into talking about something was a big no. He mentally cursed at himself for not gaining Rogue's trust yet. 

"Alright, Rogue. You don't have to tell me now. Just talk to me when you're ready, okay? And if you need anything, I'll be right beside you," Sting assured as he wiggled back into the covers.

Rogue nodded, feeling a slight wave of relief wash over him. Something about Sting's words gave him hope, even if it was very faint. His heart wanted to trust Sting, and that comfort let him sleep peacefully through the rest of the night.

______________

The scent of something delicious wafted its way into Rogue's nose, causing the black-haired mage to sleepily open his eyes. He turned his head and saw a little clock perched upon the nightstand. The time read 4:32 pm. Man, he hadn't got this much sleep since forever. He yawned, trying to get rid of the tiredness; however, he was no longer drowsy when the smell of fire filled his nostrils. 

"What's this...?" Rogue wondered, not really familiar with the smell of fire. He just knew that it wasn't something safe.

He quickly made his way down into the kitchen of Sting's house, only to find the White Dragon Slayer trying to find a way to put out the fire. He was zooming through the kitchen, attempting to find a water bottle or any source of water, really. Rogue's eyes widened as he took in the scene before his eyes. A huge fire emerged from the stove, nearly burning through the roof.

"Sting..what did you do?" Rogue asked, feeling panic rise within him.

"Shit! You're awake...!" Sting mumbled, trying to hide the fire by standing in front of it. He greatly failed at that. "Don't worry about it! Please, uh, it was just a mistake. I swear I'll fix it." Sting knew how much stress Rogue was already fighting through and he didn't want to make things worse for him, let alone give him another thing to worry about. 

Sting ran to the counter and grabbed a bottle, getting ready to splash water over the fire. Before he could do so, Rogue grabbed his forearm. "Wait-"

"Come on Rogue, I said I'd take care of it!" Sting protested.

"Unless you want to make the fire bigger, I suggest using a fire extinguisher if you have one," Rogue whispered softly.

"What? Why?" Sting asked. 

Rogue let go of Sting's arm and quickly turned away. "It's a grease fire. If you add water, it'll only get bigger."

Sting put the water down without a second thought, completely trusting in Rogue's words. Rogue was surprised at how quickly Sting decided to trust him. He watched as Sting rushed over to the back room and grabbed the fire extinguisher. He stared at it for a second and then looked back up at Rogue with a sheepish look mixed with slight panic. "WAIT, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO USE THIS!"

"P-pull the pin!" Rogue instructed.

Sting pulled the small metal pin out of the slot and pressed down on the handle, causing foamy stuff to go everywhere. He had no control over the hose so the foam ended up getting all over the kitchen and even on their clothes. On the bright side, the fire was put out.

"Phew, that was close!" Sting huffed, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He set the extinguisher down and walked over to Rogue. "Thanks for that advice. Who knows what might've happened if you hadn't told me that water would only make it worse? I might've lost my house! You're really smart."

Rogue blushed slightly, not used to compliments. Sting found this to be really adorable, and soon he felt his face flushing as well. 

"Rogue, um, sorry for getting that stuff all over you. You can go take a shower if you'd like...er... the bathroom's upstairs," Sting told him. "Oh, and you can borrow my clothes for tonight. It's totally cool."

"O-okay.." Rogue squeaked out. He quickly ran back upstairs, trying not to let the loose bits of foam fall anywhere else. After locating Sting's bathroom, he borrowed a pair of long sweatpants and a hoodie along with some undergarments. He felt embarrassed borrowing someone else's clothes, but he had no choice.

Rogue slowly stripped himself and ripped off all the bandages covering his body before stepping into the shower. He twisted the knob so the water was not too hot nor too cold.

Meanwhile, as Sting cleaned the kitchen, Rogue stood in the shower for a long period. He stared at all the scars on his body, suddenly regretting each and every time he carved a new cut into his skin. The water burned his cuts, bringing tears to his delicate eyes. Cutting seemed like such a good idea before, but now he felt displeased with himself. 

The knocking on the bathroom door caused him to snap back into reality as his head jerked sideways.

"Yo, Rogue! You done yet? I have something planned for us tonight!" Sting called from outside the bathroom door. 

Rogue felt his face flushing again from embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry...I'll be out in five minutes." He quickly turned off the shower water and wrapped a towel around himself. After that, he dressed into Sting's clothes and made his way back downstairs, awaiting whatever Sting had prepared for him.

_______________

"Damn, you look good in my clothes," Sting greeted as Rogue stepped into the living room. Rogue blushed and couldn't find any words to say. Sting smirked, enjoying how cute Rogue looked when he was embarrassed. He didn't think anyone could be this cute.

Rogue felt awkwardness rise in the atmosphere, but luckily Sting wasn't the type to leave things like that. He always had something on his mind that could break the uneasiness.

"Come sit," Sting offered, patting the sofa cushion beside him. Rogue walked over, taking small steps before sitting down. "I know you're hungry, so I ordered us pizza." Sting reached over to table beside the couch and placed a fresh new box of pizza on his lap. "You better eat this time, or else I'm going to feed you again."

Rogue stayed quiet. Sting raised an eyebrow, as if expecting a response. When he got no answer, he just placed 3 slices on Rogue's plate as he handed it to him. Rogue took the plate reluctantly and placed it in his lap. "Thanks, Sting...you've been a big help..but you really didn't have to.."

Sting waved it off saying it was no problem and that he was glad to help. He began eating his pizza like there was no tomorrow, shoving it all in his mouth and chewing loudly plus messily, not even caring what Rogue would think of him. On the other hand, Rogue ate slowly. Not only because his stomach hadn't fully adjusted to eating again, but also because his hand still hurt from yesterday. He didn't even have a chance to hide his pain because Sting took notice of it immediately. 

"I'll tell you what. Once we're done eating, I'll patch you up again. For now, and until your wounds heal, let me feed you," Sting demanded gently as he reached out for Rogue's plate.

Rogue let him take it without any arguments. He still didn't understand why Sting was being so caring, but he didn't mind in the slightest. He was just worried of whether or not he was being a burden to him.

On the contrary, Rogue has wanted someone to take care of him for a long time after being alone all these years. With Sting around, Rogue felt himself slowly getting absorbed into the light, even if it was only a tiny bit each day. He was starting to realize that Sting wasn't all that bad after all.

"Open wideee~" Sting teased, holding the pizza up to Rogue's mouth. Rogue gave him a look and opened his mouth slowly as he took a bite. Sting smiled. "Good job! I'm proud of you."

Rogue felt warm inside now. It became easier and easier for him to eat after each bite, and once Sting fed him the last piece, he was satisfied. It felt so good to eat a decent meal after all this time. 

"How was that?" Sting asked as he got up to put the plates in the sink. He returned seconds later, sitting next to Rogue again, but this time a little closer than before. 

"It was..really good.." Rogue said in a soft whisper.

"Glad you thought so. Feels good to eat, doesn't it?" Sting asked with a grin. Rogue nodded in response. "Better than my cooking, huh?" Again, Rogue nodded, but this time a bit more hesitantly. Sting wasn't offended by this; he simply started laughing. His laughter was soothing to Rogue's ears, and he could feel himself melting into the sound erupting from the blonde. 

Rogue played with the sleeve of his shirt as the two of them sat there in silence for the next few minutes. Sting would glance over at Rogue every other minute to check if he was doing okay, and Rogue would do the same. All of a sudden, Sting got a great idea.

"Rogue, you have to listen to this. It's really good," Sting said, shuffling through the contents of his messenger bag to find his headphones and laptop. 

"Listen to what?" Rogue asked.

"Music, of course! I think it'll help us feel more relaxed."

"O-okay."

The White Dragon Slayer pulled out his silver-colored laptop and placed it carefully on his lap. He opened his music files and clicked on the album labeled "Skillet." After plugging in the headphones, he motioned Rogue to come closer. Rogue slowly scooted himself towards Sting. The blonde handed him the other end of the headphones as he took the first end. "You'll love this, I'm sure you will."

Rogue carefully inserted his end of the headphones into his right ear as Sting put his into his left ear. He clicked 'Play' and a song titled 'Whispers in the Dark' began to play. 

_Despite the lies that you're making_

_Your love is mine for the taking_

_My love is_

_Just waiting_

_To turn your tears to roses_

Sting seemed to know the song really well because he began to hum it softly. The way Rogue saw it, this song appeared to be one of Sting's favorites. 

_I will be the one that's gonna hold you_

_I will be the one that you run to_

_My love is_

_A burning, consuming fire_

Rogue soon realized Sting was right about this song. It was already quite appealing to him, and he felt more and more intrigued to hear the rest of words. The lyrics and the feelings coming from them made Rogue feel like there was something else behind the meaning of the words. Could it be referring to something that was yet to happen or yet to come? Something in the near future, perhaps? ~~(*wink wink*)~~

_No_

_You'll never be alone_

_When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars_

_Hear the whispers in the dark_

_No_

_You'll never be alone_

_When darkness comes, you know I'm never far_

_Hear the whispers in the dark_

Rogue found comfort and nostalgia in this song; the soothing words made him feel a little sleepy. His lack of sleep was really catching up to him now. Even though he had gotten a good amount of sleep today, he still had all the other hours of sleep he missed from the past few days to catch up to. The black-haired mage's eyelids soon started feeling heavier, and before he knew it he was passed out on Sting's shoulder. It took Sting a few seconds to realize Rogue was asleep. With a warm smile on his face, he grabbed a nearby blanket and gently covered Rogue up with it to keep him warm. "Sleep well...you deserve a lot of it.."

Sting rubbed Rogue's back softly in a comforting manner. Rogue began nuzzling into him unconsciously which made Sting blush. He slowly put his arm around Rogue and held him close as Rogue's soft breathing was in sync with his heartbeat.

"You really seemed to like that song...how about I sing another one for you?" Sting whispered, aware of the fact that Rogue was asleep. He slowly removed the headphones and turned the volume up ever so slightly before playing a different song called 'The Last Night' and softly began singing it to Rogue.

_You come to me with scars on your wrist_

_You tell me this will be the last night_

_Feeling like this_

_I just came to say goodbye_

_Didn't want you to see me cry_

_I'm fine but I know it's a lie_

_This is the last night you'll spend alone_

_Look me in the eyes so I know you know_

_I'm everywhere you want me to be_

_The last night you'll spend alone_

_I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go_

_I'm everything you need me to be_

_Your parents say everything is your fault_

_But they don't know you like I know you_

_They don't know you at all_

_I'm so sick of when they say_

_It's just a phase, you'll be okay, you're fine_

_But I know it's a lie_

_This is the last night you'll spend alone_

_Look me in the eyes so I know you know_

_I'm everywhere you want me to be_

_The last night you'll spend alone_

_I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go_

_I'm everything you need me to be_

_The last night away from me_

_The night is so long when everything's wrong_

_If you give me your hand, I will help you hold on_

_Tonight, tonight_

_This is the last night you'll spend alone_

_Look me in the eyes so I know you know_

_I'm everywhere you want me to be_

_The last night you'll spend alone_

_I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go_

_I'm everything you need me to be_

_I won't let you say goodbye_

_And I'll be your reason why_

_The last night away from me, away from me_

After he finished, Sting smiled to himself and looked at Rogue once more. He was holding onto his side now, making Sting smile. He couldn't help but feel proud of the way he was able to handle Rogue. Even though it had only been a couple of days, he felt as if Rogue was willing to be more open than usual. That made him happy, because that meant Rogue was slowly starting to trust him again.

Sting wouldn't wish to be in any other place right now but within the comforts of his own home, keeping a sleepy Rogue safe and sound. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the hits, comments, and kudos! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it so far. <3


	5. Master of Fate, Captain of Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An embarrassed dork, homework struggles, and an eventful get-together.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Suicidal Thoughts, Self-Harm/Cutting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Master's game played in this chapter was inspired by the Fairy Tail Christmas Special manga chapter :)

Sting jolted awake as he felt his phone vibrating nonstop in his pocket. It buzzed in his clothing like a little bee, causing a strange sensation to surge through his body. He attempted to move his arm so he could check who was calling or texting him, but he found out that a certain someone was clinging on to his arm and sleeping soundly. Sting smiled slightly and gently pulled his arm back from Rogue's grasp. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the phone, realizing that Minerva had been calling and texting him for the past hour. 

He clicked on the newest message that was sent and his phone screen flashed before opening it up. 

_8:03 a.m._

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:** STING. I've been trying to call and text you all morning, you lazy ass! IF YOU SEE THIS, I just want to let you know that I'm coming over in a few minutes to drop off your homework from yesterday's classes. Open the door when I knock or else I'll break it down. 

See ya in a bit.

Sting smiled amusedly at the contact name he had set for his friend. He disregarded the message as his eyes averted over to Rogue, who was sleeping peacefully. His snores come out in soft little breaths. Sting felt really happy that Rogue had an easier time sleeping now. This must've been his first night where he didn't have a nightmare. 

_Knock Knock_

The loud banging of the door interrupted him from his trail of thoughts.

"Damn, she wasn't kidding when she said she'd be here in just a few minutes," Sting mumbled to himself as he walked towards the entrance of his house. He unlocked the front door and opened it, revealing Minerva on the other side. Rufus, Orga, Yukino, and a couple of their other classmates had tagged along as well. The navy blue-haired mage was carrying piles of paper and Sting's jaw dropped as he stared at the mile-high stack. 

"What the fuck is all of that?!" the White Dragon Slayer shrieked, praying that some of those papers weren't for him.

"It's all the work you missed. Get it done by tomorrow and I'll pick it up in the morning before I leave," Minerva told him, dumping the pile of papers in Sting's arms. He stood there dumbfounded, incredulous at the amount of work he received.

Minerva turned to leave, but then turned back around as she remembered something else she had to say. "Oh, one more thing. Any idea where the new kid lives? I have his work too. They're in the pile I handed to you. I found out that he's in all the same classes as us for second quarter so I picked up copies for him as well."

"Um..." Sting began, not sure how to answer. He didn't know where Rogue lived, and even if he did, he couldn't tell them because Rogue was right there in his house. What would they think if they saw him there? 

"Hey...is that Rogue over there?" Yukino asked, pointing towards Sting's living room. Sting froze in place, his eyes widening. He cursed the fact that the living room was only a hallway away from the door so everything could be seen clearly from outside. 

"Heh..are you sure you didn't have too much coffee, Yukino? I th-think you're starting to hallucinate!" Sting choked out, trying not to have his cover blown. Yukino just giggled as she immediately realized what was up. 

"Hmmm, I don't ever recall you being that type of person, Sting," Rufus chuckled, tilting his hat forward. 

"You're growing soft," Orga pointed out. "What happened to your jerk side?"

Sting groaned. "OKAY FIRST OF ALL, DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA! AND ORGA I WAS NEVER A JERK."

"Yeah, sure. Just like I was never dating Rufus, suuuuure," Orga countered smugly. 

"Sting, what are you doing keeping Rogue in your house?" Minerva questioned, coming back to the main thought at hand.

"He freakin' got his ass beat two days ago! Did you really think I would leave him like that?!" Sting spit out, startling everyone.

"Honestly, I thought you would. You never seemed to care about anybody else who received the same punishment. I thought my father taught you better than this," Minerva said.

"Well, I didn't," Sting shot back, using the same strict tone as Minerva. "Anyway, your father is a jerk; I fucking I hate him. And also, there's nothing wrong in saving-"

"Someone you're in love with?" Dobengal, one of their quieter classmates, interrupted. "Don't worry Sting, there's nothing wrong in that."

"NO! WHAT THE HELL?! I-I'm just treating him until he gets better!" Sting protested. He would be flailing his arms in the air but he was carrying the mass amount of paperwork.

"Sting and Rogue sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" Orga sang.

"F-Fuck off!" Sting yelled as his cheeks tainted with pink.

"Well Sting, I hope you finish all your work soon because I'm having a get-together at my place this evening. Everyone who is here with me now is invited," Minerva said, turning around. She stepped off Sting's front porch and everyone else followed. She raised her right arm to wave at him while facing forward. "Oh, and you can bring your little boyfriend if you want. See you at seven!"

"I fucking hate you guys," Sting grumbled under his breath. He turned around and kicked the door shut from behind him before making his way back to the living room and dumping the pile of papers on the floor. 

"How the hell did I miss this much work in only one day..." Sting muttered.

He trudged to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He also fixed his bedhead a bit and sprayed on a bit of cologne. After checking to make sure everything was all good, he walked back toward the living room. When he returned, Rogue was slowly awakening. 

The Shadow Dragon Slayer rubbed his eyes and noticed that the ground beneath him was covered in white. He blinked twice before tilting his head sideways. "D-Did it snow in here or something?" he mumbled sleepily.

Sting started laughing as he shook his head. "No, silly. That's all of our homework. I wish it could've been snow, though."

Rogue blushed in embarrassment. "Oh..oops.."

Sting knelt down and quickly sorted through the papers, separating his work from Rogue's. Each new paper made him groan in annoyance. As he stacked his final page of notes up, he noticed that someone had scrawled 'Missed work for Sting and Rogue Eucliffe' on a sticky note. 

_Damn bastards_ , Sting thought to himself.  _VERY FUNNY._

He stood up and brushed himself off before turning to Rogue.

"Are you hungry, Rogue?" Sting asked, taking note of the time. Rogue shook his head. He would eat later, maybe even just skip breakfast altogether and have lunch. Sting nodded, but asked him again just to make sure. He received the same response so he let it go and decided not to eat either. "Anyway...Not to burst your bubble, but I guess we have to start our homework right now if we want to finish in time for Minerva's party," Sting sighed. "Sorry.."

"I don't mind," Rogue said. "And oh, you're going to a party later..?"

Sting nodded. "And I want you to join me!"

Rogue quickly shook his head. "N-no thanks..."

"Why not? It'll be fun!" 

Rogue shook his head again. 

Sting frowned. He wanted to start begging but he knew better. It wasn't right to force or pressure Rogue, especially with his condition. 

"S-sorry..I don't really like parties.." Rogue raised his head, taking notice of the unhappy expression on Sting's face. One look at Sting's innocent face and guilt plunged through him. "Um..actually..!"

"You'll come?!" Sting exclaimed, the grin returning to his face. Rogue nodded. He really didn't want to go, but he didn't want to disappoint Sting. After all, he owed him for all he's done for him the past two days.

"ALRIGHT!" Sting cheered, pumping his fist in the air excitedly. "Now let's conquer this homework!"

* * *

"I. HATE. CHEMISTRY," Sting groaned as he picked up the final worksheet. He and Rogue successfully worked through the literature, algebra, and history of magics homework together, but science was really getting on Sting's nerves. "I can't believe we have to wait another year before we can take combat classes. At least then we will actually learn stuff that will help us in the real world. Who the fuck needs all this other useless shit anyway?!"

"We need it to get into our university of choice," Rogue answered. "If we can't do this, we won't qualify for the magic training classes."

"I know, I know, smartass," Sting said playfully, rolling his eyes. He elbowed Rogue in the side very gently. He knew he was still bruised so he made sure to be very careful. "Oh, I almost forgot! I'm such an idiot! I need to clean your wounds and bandage you up. Hehe, you're gonna have to be a mummy again."

Sting handed his phone to Rogue before standing up. "I'll be right back with the first aid kit. Do you mind texting Minerva and asking her for help on the homework? She's pretty beast at science and I'm sure we can even try to get the answers if we're able to convince her."

Before Rogue could argue, Sting sprinted to his bedroom and started searching for the necessary medicinal supplies. Rogue nervously unlocked the phone and clicked on Minerva's contact name. A text messaging chat opened up and he took a deep breath before typing.

_4:04 p.m._

**Rogue, [from Sting's phone]:**  Um, hello.

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  Sting? Wow first time I've seen you use proper grammar.

Rogue's eyes widened, unsure of how to respond. He needed to sound just like Sting so Minerva wouldn't get suspicious. 

**Sting [Rogue]:**  shut up i em awesum

Rogue mentally face palmed for sounding like an idiot as his hands started trembling slightly.

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  Ha, you wish you were awesome. Anyway, what do you want?

The black-haired mage breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he was back in the clear. He was surprisingly good and mimicking Sting's manner of speaking.

**Sting [Rogue]** : need hellp on chem homewurk. 

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  Wow I'm surprised you didn't ask for help in English because you suck at spelling

Rogue bit his lip. Oops, he must've over done it. 

**Sting [Rogue]:**  haha, guess i'll work on that. so can you help or no

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  chemistry, you say? i have one answer for you.

**Sting [Rogue]:**  what is it?

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  You and Rogue have a good chemistry together ;) 

**Mi-gets-on-my-nerves-a:**  If you know what I mean ;)))))

Rogue felt his face heating up. He put the phone down for a second and stared at the chemistry paper. He felt thoughts coming into his head, but he immediately pushed them to the back of his mind. As he came back into focus, he suddenly recognized all of the material listed on their chemistry homework. He realized he had learned it all last year, so there was no use in asking for Minerva's help. 

**Sting [Rogue]:**  um, actually i remembered how to do this. bye. 

Rogue deleted the conversation and put the phone down. Sting returned just in time.

"Alright, I'm back. Did Minerva agree to helping us?" Sting questioned.

"Oh, well, um, I actually know how to do this so I figured we didn't need her help," Rogue answered, hiding the other part of the truth.

"Really? Well that's freakin' awesome! I'd bet you'd make a better tutor than she ever would," Sting said through his smile. 

Rogue smiled weakly as Sting sat down beside him. While Sting tried to look for his missing pencil, Rogue was occupied in his world of thoughts. He had a lot of questions which were all left answered. He knew he was overthinking things but that's just the way his mind worked.

"Okay. Before we start, let me do what I have to do," Sting exclaimed, interrupting Rogue's trail of thoughts. 

Rogue was so zoned out that he didn't understand what Sting was doing.

"Rogue, I'm gonna have to ask you to take your shirt off."

"W-What?!" Rogue's heart began beating faster.

Sting raised an eyebrow at him. "I said take your shirt off."

Rogue froze, completely paralyzed at the request. Minerva's words began repeating themselves in his head, and he had no idea how to react.

Sting sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Oi, do you want me to bandage you up or not?"

A blush rose to Rogue's cheeks.  _Ohhhh. So that's what he was talking about_. Rogue hung his head in shame as he slowly removed his shirt and put it aside. Sting smiled, and Rogue could've sworn that he saw him blushing too. The blonde kneeled down next to Rogue and rubbed a special ointment on his wounds. It was soft and soothing to the Shadow Dragon Slayer's senses. He also had to admit that Sting's gentle touch added as a special bonus. 

Sting grabbed the bandages and carefully applied them to all of Rogue's scathed areas and continuously asked whether it was comfortable enough for him to move in. Rogue smiled slightly at nodded each time in response. 

"Okay, you're all set Mummy boy," Sting joked.

Rogue rolled his eyes. "Shall we start our chemistry homework now?"

Sting nodded in a childish manner as he happily plopped down beside Rogue. Rogue couldn't help but wonder how Sting could smile as bright as the sun despite being next to most gloomiest person around.

"Okay...so we have to know Electron Configuration, Quantum Numbers, and Bonding," Rogue explained as he read off the objectives.

"Um, English please?!" Sting said as his bright, blue eyes widened. "What the hell is all of that?!"

"Don't worry, I'll help you out," Rogue assured. 

Sting gave hime one of his biggest smiles. "I am so freakin' glad to have met you."

Sting's smile was contagious, as Rogue could feel himself smiling as well. "I'm nothing special.."

"I mean it. You're so smart and talented. And you're so brave and strong for fighting through what you've been going through. You're here today because you chose to get back up whenever life knocked you down. I'm so, so proud of you, Rogue." Sting placed his hand gently on Rogue's arm as he soothingly traced his finger over one of the cuts. 

A new feeling sprung up inside of Rogue. He never felt this way before, but it made him feel...happy. Nobody was ever able to make Rogue smile, and especially not with just words. Boy, this Sting was something really special.. "Thank you..." was all Rogue could manage to say. He was stunned by this new wave of feelings that washed over him.

Sting plainly nodded and gripped his pencil tightly. "Okay Rogue-san, let's get started!"

"No need for formalities," Rogue said through his little smile. "Although I knew you were joking."

Rogue explained the concept to Sting as the two of them worked together through the problems. Rogue even tried to help Sting improve his handwriting a little along the way. As Sting wrote out his bonding notes, Rogue slowly placed his hand on top of Sting's as he guided his arm carefully. The shadow mage's hand fit perfectly on top of Sting's; it felt as if it was always meant to be placed there.

By the time they finished, it was 6:15. They had to head over to Minerva's place soon, so the two of them quickly showered and got dressed. They got a bit delayed because Sting wouldn't stop messing with the hair gel and Rogue had to try to stop him from making his hair look like he'd just been struck by lightning. Rogue simply brushed his own hair and ended up doing Sting's hair too. 

Sting checked the time on his watch after they went back downstairs: 8:45 p.m. "Shit, we're late!" Sting took Rogue's hand in his as the two of them raced over to Minerva's house which was only a few streets down.

* * *

"Minerva, do we seriously have to play that?!" Orga whined, slumping his shoulders. Rufus rubbed his back lovingly, trying to comfort him. 

"Yes. My house, my rules," Minerva insisted, pulling out a cup filled with labeled sticks. The sound of the door opening caused her to turn around for a mere moment. "Well look who's just in time."

"Sorry we're late!" Sting apologized, rushing inside and closing the door behind him.

Their classmates and friends greeted them as the two dragon slayers entered Minerva's house. Minerva noticed that Rogue had tagged along and that he was holding Sting's hand. A devilish smirk spread across her face. "Ah, so I see you brought your boyf-"

"Shut up!" Sting hissed, letting go of Rogue's hand. "Don't you dare!"

Minerva chuckled. She let it slide because she had future plans for the two with her new game that she learned from Erza. 

"You two better turn back," Rufus said. "You came at the worst possible time."

"Huh? Why?" Sting wondered.

"Minerva's making us play the Master game..." Orga muttered.

"Oh fuck no.." Sting said in response. "Rogue we are getting out of h-"

"Not so fast. If you don't stay, I'll embarrass you to the point where you don't even feel like existing anymore," Minerva threatened in a playful manner.

"I have a feeling you're already going to do that..." Sting mumbled as he sat down. 

"Alright, everyone pick your sticks!" 

Yukino, Orga, Rufus, Sting, Rogue, and Minerva all grabbed one. 

"I got a crown..." Rogue said. 

"Wow, right off the bat!" Orga exclaimed. "Do you know how to play?"

Rogue shook his head. Orga turned his head to Rufus, knowing he could explain it well enough for Rogue to understand it. Rufus smiled and told Rogue about the game: each player picked out one stick which all had different numbers on it; however, one of them had a crown on it. The person who got the crown would be able to pick two numbers and make them do whatever he/she chooses. The players with those two chosen numbers would then have to do that task. 

"Oh..um.." Rogue began. His voice was very quiet and came out in barely a whisper. He wasn't really all that good in groups, so Minerva let only the six of them play. He still wasn't used to being with more than one person so it was still difficult for him to speak out. "Number 2 and number 4 have to borrow sugar from the neighbors?"

"LAME," Minerva yelled. "Plus my neighbors are Freed and Laxus who are probably doing something right now, if you know what I mean."

"Don't call him lame," Sting suddenly snapped, defending Rogue. "If you do it one more time I swear-"

"Jeez I get it, no need to make threats," Minerva sighed as she rolled her eyes. She looked over at Rogue again. "Do something more brutal."

"U-Um...Number 2 and Number 4 have to eat the spiciest thing in the kitchen?" Rogue tried.

"Now that's more like it," Minerva nodded in approval.

Yukino and Rufus, the unlucky two who were picked for the dare, had to go through Minerva's supply of hot chili peppers and find the spiciest one. Minerva grinned as they pulled out an entire jar of Naga Vipers, ranked number six on the world's top ten hottest peppers.

"You're so sadistic," Orga stated as he watched his poor boyfriend choke down one of the peppers. "I can't believe you're doing this to your own girlfriend too, Minerva."

"Hey, it wasn't my dare," Minerva reminded him with a smirk. 

Rogue hid behind Sting, feeling guilty for making Yukino and Rufus do this. Surprisingly, Yukino seemed perfectly fine while Rufus was screaming and running around yelling _HOT! HOT! HOT!_ while begging for water. Orga took care of his needs as Minerva stood there laughing her head off. 

Once everything settled down a bit, the next set of sticks were drawn. This time, Sting got to be Master. "Hmm, numbers 1 and 2 have to have their hands tied together for the next 3 rounds."

Yukino and Minerva looked at each other as Rufus came over and tied their hands together. 

"Well this'll be interesting," Minerva commented. 

"T-This isn't too bad actually," Yukino said through her small blush.

Next, Rufus was master. "Number 4 has to kiss number 6 on the cheek."

Sting was number 6 and he looked around the room as he tried to figure out who number 4 was. I think you can all guess who it was.

"Ooh, I've been waiting for a Stingue moment," Minerva teased.

"Did you just-" Sting began.

Minerva gave him a smug grin. 

"Ha, there's no way in hell he would d-"

Sting stopped mid-sentence as Rogue shyly crawled over to him and softly kissed his cheek. Sting's face turned red and he turned over to look at Rogue who was now hunched over his knees, feeling super embarrassed. It took him a lot of guts to do that, but he had no intentions of refusing the action. 

"Oooh~" Yukino cooed, playing along. She raised her hands to her cheeks and Minerva's hand came along with it since they were tied together.

"LET'S MOVE ON!" Sting yelled through his flushed face. 

"I'm Master!" Orga announced after the next drawing. "Okay, number 3 has to eat something without using their hands!"

"Well this is unfortunate," Rufus complained. "Why must I get all the messy ones?"

"Karma?" Sting suggested.

Rufus shuffled into the kitchen and took out a box of pizza. He attempted eating it with just his mouth but that failed miserably. Next he tried his feet but also failed. "Hey, Orga! Feed me, will you?"

"Hey! That's cheating!" Sting protested.

"No it isn't. I'm following the dare correctly. If I recall, it said that I have to eat something without using my hands. So I'm using Orga's!" 

Sting rolled his eyes as Orga came over and fed Rufus the slice of pizza. During the next round, Yukino got to be master. "Hm, number 6 has to give number 5 a piggyback ride!" 

Sting and Rogue looked at each other. Sting smiled, glad it was Rogue and nobody else. He bent down and extended his arms out. "Come on, Rogue. Hop on."

Rogue slowly walked up to him and perched himself onto Sting's back as Sting picked him up. He walked around the entirety of Minerva's large house, really seeming to enjoy himself. Rogue rested his head on Sting's shoulder as he held Sting tightly but gently. 

"It seems I'm Master this time," Rufus announced at the next round, after Sting and Rogue had returned. "Numbers 1 and 2 have to wear blindfolds and ballroom dance together!"

Yukino was 1 and Minerva was 2. Rufus and Orga tied the blindfolds and untied their hands while Sting picked out a slow dance song.

"I'll get revenge on you guys..." Minerva grumbled as she tried to find Yukino's hand. The two of them managed to dance pretty well despite being in their blindfolded state. 

As they danced, Sting and Rogue took a small break to go grab some food. Sting fed Rogue again even though it was unnecessary. Rogue happily accepted his offer and sat beside Sting as he got fed little things like chips and cookies. 

"Okay, this is going to be the final drawing. After this you all can go," Minerva said after her dare ended. Everyone drew new sticks from the cup.

"About time!" the space mage cheered. "I'm the master now!"

"Speak of the devil," Orga whispered. 

"I DARE 2 AND 4 TO GO ON A DATE TOMORROW AND TELL THE REST OF US HOW IT WENT!"

Two and four. Sting and Rogue. It was like their fates were intwined together. 

"Oh my god..." Sting complained, but he was secretly excited on the inside. He's wanted to spend some alone time with Rogue outside of his home to get to know him better.

"Then it's settled," Minerva said with a satisfied smile. "Now get your asses home before my dad gets back."

Everyone nodded and said a quick goodbye to each other as they exited Minerva's house. After a couple of seconds, Sting and Rogue were the only ones on the empty streets as they made their way home.

"Are you going to sleep at my place again?" Sting asked in a suggestive manner. He really hoped Rogue would say yes.

"No," Rogue replied. Sting's smile immediately turned upside down. "S-Sorry..it's just that I don't want to keep bothering you or making you worry about me.."

"Rogue, I-"

"It's okay. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Please, take some time off to have to yourself."

Before Sting could argue, Rogue disappeared into the shadows as he made his way back to his own apartment. Sting didn't have anything to say after that. He sighed sadly and walked back to his house by himself. When he opened the front door, everything was still the same. Everything except the fact that Rogue wasn't there, and that made him heartbroken. Even though it had only been a couple of days since he actually got to spend time with Rogue, he felt as if he'd grown closer to him. He got to feel his sleep and breathing patterns, watch the way he reacts to certain things, see him at his best whether it's studying or cooking or anything, and even got to feel how smooth and soft his skin was despite all the cuts. It wasn't going to be the same without him.

* * *

Rogue Cheney walked into his dark and lonely apartment. He immediately regretted leaving Sting's side as he stepped inside. He really wanted to spend another night or two at Sting's house, but his stupid, stupid feelings wouldn't leave him. He kept feeling like such a burden to Sting. He felt he was pressuring Sting and making him waste his precious time to help someone who was going to end their life soon anyway. He wanted Sting to be happy, and he didn't want to be in his way.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer crawled into his bed, and right away he missed the feel of Sting's body heat that radiated close to his body. He was scared all over again. Scared that his nightmares would haunt his dreams yet again without Sting being there to comfort him.

"I made a mistake..again.." Rogue contemplated. He lay awake that night, unable to sleep at all. He didn't know why, but he just longed for Sting's presence. He didn't even need Sting to do anything but to be beside him. 

And so, being the way that he is, the first solution his mind wandered to was pain. He walked to his dresser and pulled out his signature blade; which thereafter he placed the blade on his forearm. Without thinking twice, he pushed the blade deep into his skin and blood spurt out. The pain he felt on his arm was nothing compared to the emptiness he felt in his heart. Only then did he realize he was relying so much on Sting to a point where it became unbearable.

Now only one question remained. What was he going to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betcha didn't expect the angst at the end, hm? I am sorry.


	6. Don't Find Love, Let Love Find You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting and Rogue's fun little date! :D
> 
> Also includes an inside look of Rogue's past.
> 
> Oh, and birds. Just birds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna post this hours ago but I accidentally forgot about it. xD

Sting Eucliffe adjusted his vest feeling jubilant, contradicting the way he felt the night before. He had woken up early for once and immediately hit the shower. He performed his daily morning routine and now stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection through the tainted glass. He fixed his spiky blonde hair, combing the tufts out smoothly. After being satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed a bouquet of flowers and headed out. Today was the day he was taking Rogue out on a semi-formal "date." He could thank Minerva for that.

The eager dragon slayer put on his helmet as he hopped onto his motorcycle. He looked super badass with his black leather vest paired with dark jeans, a dark shirt, and converse. Of course Sting looked even cooler riding a motorcycle in that attire. He started the ignition of the shiny vehicle, revving the engine, and was off in a matter of seconds. Only after driving around for a while did he realize that he had no idea where Rogue lived. He face palmed as he realized what an idiot he was and proceeded to track the shadow mage down by scent.

* * *

Rogue Cheney somehow managed to get a few hours of sleep in, but just barely. The pain surging through his arms after they were coated in a fresh layer of cuts kept him awake through half the night. His nightmares weren't any better either; they continued to haunt him and make him feel as if he were plunged into a world full of darkness and no hope. However, the one thing Rogue did that helped him to sleep was this: he thought of Sting. The Shadow Dragon Slayer snuggled into the hoodie (of which he forgot to return) as he breathed in Sting's scent coming off strongly from the cotton material. As he held the piece of clothing close to him, Rogue imagined everything he had come to see of Sting so far. His bright, beautiful smile that never ceased to amaze him. The way his eyebrows knitted together as hatred burned in his sapphire eyes whenever someone insulted him. The happiness written all over his face when he got excited. All Rogue had to do was imagine Sting and keep him in his mind, and that alone was enough to let him have at least four hours of some good sleep.

Feeling no motivation at all, Rogue grudgingly pushed himself out of bed and got ready. He took a quick shower, crying again as the water burned his cuts. After the short-lived shower, he dressed in something nice – dark jeans, a plain long-sleeved shirt, and a scarf – hoping it would brighten his mood a little. He was just about to make some coffee when all of a sudden he heard a knock at his door. Who could it be at this hour? Who could it be at all? Rogue didn't have any friends...

Rogue nervously walked over to his front door and opened it slowly. He didn't even have to look up to see who it was. His eyes widened and tears filled his eyes.

"Rogue! Hi!!" Sting greeted. He had been successful in tracking down his scent. The White Dragon Slayer looked over at Rogue and saw that his eyes were pooled with tears. "Wh-what's wrong? Why are you crying..? Oh, Rogue.."

"I.." Rogue began. He sniffled, trying to keep his voice steady. "I m-missed you.." He pushed himself forward and grabbed Sting, hugging him tightly. He didn't care what Sting would think, he just wanted to feel him next to him again.

Sting was a little startled at first but soon his expression softened as he wrapped his arms around Rogue, returning the hug. "I missed you too.." Sting whispered. He softly rubbed Rogue's back, trying to comfort him. "Hey, I brought you flowers."

Rogue slowly unwrapped his arms from around Sting as he accepted the bouquet of multicolored chrysanthemums. Rogue was moved by Sting's choice in flowers; he loved all the symbolic representations of each color. "What are these for?"

"It's just a friendly gesture, ya silly dork," Sting answered with a chuckle. "And I'm taking you out on a date today, remember?" He did the little air quotes as he said the word date.

Rogue smiled, finally. He'd almost forgotten about the dare from last night's party due to his mind being clouded with other thoughts. Usually he'd refuse going outside, but he wanted to be with Sting more than anything. He was willing to go anywhere with him at this point. Rogue placed the flowers in one of his favorite vases and then walked outside, closing the door from behind him. "Let's go."

Sting offered his arm and Rogue shyly linked his arm through his partner's. The two of them walked across the driveway as they approached Sting's motorcycle. 

"You know how to drive a motorcycle?" Rogue asked in surprise. He was impressed. 

Sting nodded with pride. "Yup! And I think I'm the only one in town who knows how. I'm pretty special, aren't I?" He grinned and placed his hands on his hips.

"You sure are.." Rogue mumbled in a daze. 

Sting blushed, not expecting that response. He hopped onto his motorcycle as he leaned it down a little so Rogue could get on. "Come on, Rogue." 

Rogue snapped out of his trance and climbed onto the vehicle. He had a little trouble at first but Sting helped him out.

Once they were settled, Sting inserted the key and started up the engine. "Ready to go?"

Rogue nodded. He placed his hands firmly on the small amount of space on the seat between him and Sting. Rogue nearly fell off as soon as they departed so Sting stopped for a minute in the middle of the street. 

"Oi, Rogue, hold on to me," Sting said. "Don't be shy, hehe. It's just me, remember?" 

Rogue blushed as he nodded, scooting forward and placing his hands on Sting's shoulders. Sting laughed and gently guided Rogue's hands down so they were wrapped around his torso. "Like that. Hold on tight, okay?"

"O-okay..." Rogue answered in a soft whisper. He could feel Sting's muscles through his shirt and they were comforting to his touch. Rogue lay his head on Sting's back as he tightened the grip around him. 

Sting couldn't stop smiling. A warm feeling surged through his body at Rogue's delicate touch. After hearing the complaints of all the drivers behind him, Sting restarted the engine and headed off to their first location: a small restaurant off the west side of town.

* * *

"Man, all of this food looks so good!" Sting exclaimed after they had arrived at the restaurant. He flipped through the pages of the menu, trying to figure out what he wanted to order. Rogue sat there quietly, feeling intimidated by the amount of people surrounding them. Sting caught on immediately and set his menu down, giving him a worried look. "Do you want to go sit in a more private area?"

"W-we don't have to but-" Rogue began.

Sting shook his head. "No. Next time if you feel a certain way, please tell me. If you feel uncomfortable about anything, I'm here to listen. I'm willing to do anything to make you happy." Sting stood up and asked one of the waiters to change their table. The waiter reluctantly agreed and relocated them to a far corner in the back where there was nobody else around.

"Better?" Sting asked with a smile. Rogue nodded, feeling a bit guilty. "Oi, don't feel bad, it's no big deal."

Rogue nodded again, surprised at the way Sting could understand him so easily and almost effortlessly. It was like Rogue's thoughts were written in invisible ink all over his forehead and Sting had special vision that was able to read them flawlessly.  _Maybe they're his pretty eyes,_ Rogue thought.

"How does this sound to you?" Sting asked, pulling Rogue out of his thoughts. He was pointing to an item on the menu. It was some sort of fancy meal with a deli sandwich, a french tart, and a beverage.

Rogue studied it carefully as if it were some hard math problem but then said, "Sounds good."

The waiter came over and took their order, apologizing to them as he found out that it would take half an hour to prepare. Sting didn't mind waiting, because he wanted to talk about something with Rogue. As soon as the waiter left, Sting gave Rogue a solemn look. 

"Rogue, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," Sting stated.

"What is it?" Rogue asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"I want to know about your past. Of course...I'm not forcing you to tell me if you don't want to..but I just really would like to know."

Rogue felt his heart stop for a second. Why would Sting want to know that? He thought it was silly, and he did feel a little embarrassed to share his story, but over the past few days his trust in Sting had been rising. Normally he would never talk about his past with anyone, but he felt as if he could tell Sting. "Sure."

A smile tugged at Sting's lips. Rogue was glad to see him happy. He took a sip of water and then began his story.

"My father, Skiadrum, died when I was really young. I-I was left alone in this world with no guidance whatsoever. I wandered around endlessly for months. My source of food came from whatever people had thrown out. That's when I started feeling..y-you know..depressed..I didn't feel like living another day. I was so lost, so alone, with nowhere to go and no place to call home.

But one day, just as I was about to end it all, I heard a voice calling out to me. When I turned around, I saw someone who was a few years older than I was. He said his name was Gajeel Redfox..and he took me to this school. The school that went by the name of Phantom Lord. Once I was taken there, I was given a home, some friends, and even an education. I actually had some decent food and a bed to sleep in. My grades weren't all that good though, I often got bad grades-"

"No way! I can't see that happening. You getting bad grades? Not possible! You're the smartest person I know!" Sting cut in with disbelief. He looked at Rogue before blinking twice and realized what he had done. "O-oh I didn't mean to interrupt! Go on..!"

Rogue smiled at his compliment and took a deep breath. "O-okay...well...I messed up a lot too. Principal Jose, our principal, often used to get mad at me because my poetry was 'too dark' and I had problems with my emotions and all. I also made lots of mistakes unintentionally. I didn't know what was wrong and what was right, so I did whatever I believed in and then I was hated for it. A-as sad as it sounds, things did get better eventually. I started studying harder and Gajeel taught me a lot of things that I needed to know. He was like my role model. Soon I had dreams of my own, and I was eager to pursue them and become a full fledged dragon slayer."

Sting had his elbow up on the table as he leaned into the palm of his hand, admiring Rogue's little expressions as he told his story. Every little quirk was appealing to Sting and he couldn't take his eyes off of Rogue for even a second.

"B-but, everything changed when ~~(the fire nation attacked)~~ our school was destroyed. We had a rival school called Fairy Tail. Something happened between our schools, and to this day I still have no idea what happened. As far as I remember, our school was the one that ended up getting crushed. Our principal was nowhere to be found during that incident, and many of our members had been killed. Gajeel and I, along with only a small number of people, survived. We were all forced to go separate ways and it was unbearable for me to lose everything I had once again. Gajeel's last words to me were, 'Go find the school by the name of Sabertooth. You'll find people as good as us over there, maybe even better. Now go. I won't forget you.'" 

"That's terrible..." Sting sympathized in a low whisper. He could tell Rogue was feeling more and more uncomfortable with each sentence. It was almost as if he was reliving his tragic past. 

"A-and it really hurt me when I found out that Gajeel was attending Fairy Tail..the school that crushed our own.." Rogue finished. "I-I felt so betrayed.."

"I'm happy you're sharing your feelings with me, Rogue," Sting told him, taking a deep breath. He took Rogue's hand in his. "I'm here for you now, okay? And I'm never going to leave your side. I won't betray you. I'm going to be here whenever you need me."

Rogue smiled a little, trying to keep his tears from pouring out. He squeezed Sting's hand as he used his other hand to wipe the tears that had formed in his eyes. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Nobody ever gave him an opportunity to share his feelings before.

Soon, the waiter arrived with their food. He placed the plates in front of their respective owners and bowed before leaving. 

"Let's dig in!" Sting cheered as he gobbled down his sandwich. Rogue picked up his share of the sandwich and took a bite. _Mmm,_ he thought to himself. _This is some good stuff._ Sting had known exactly what he needed. 

"Oh yeah, Rofe," Sting said with his mouth full. "Lefs go fo fhe park affer fhis."

"Excuse me?" Rogue asked in confusion. 

Sting shook his head and swallowed before chugging down a glass of water. He wiped his mouth and took a deep breath. "Sorry, what I said was let's go the park after this."

"Sounds like a plan," Rogue agreed, finishing his sandwich.

"Oh and, you look really nice in that outfit by the way," Sting said out of nowhere. He took notice of the way that Rogue's outfit complimented his features. 

"Y-You look pretty nice yourself," Rogue said. "I'm surprised you're wearing all black, actually."

Sting grinned at Rogue's response. He was definitely getting more confident and comfortable around him and that made him feel good about himself. "Want to know why I wore it?" Rogue nodded, suddenly intrigued. Sting's smile widened as he leaned on the table. "It's because I know it's your favorite color."

Rogue gasped softly, extremely flattered by this. Never had someone changed their entire clothing style to make him happy. It really hit Rogue in the soft spot of his heart. He simply smiled in response, as words alone couldn't describe how he was feeling on the inside. Maybe some people would think that a simple outfit change wasn't all that much, but to Rogue, every little thing mattered.

Once they had finished their sandwiches and french tart, they walked out together, hand in hand. They didn't realize they were holding hands; it kind of just happened.

Sting and Rogue walked to the park together which wasn't too far away, probably only one or two miles apart from the restaurant. Luckily, there weren't too many people outside and the weather was really nice. The two dragon slayers took a seat on one of the benches. 

Sting pulled out a paper bag that he'd manage to get from the restaurant. He opened the bag, revealing bread crumbs. "Want to feed the birds?"

Rogue gave him a smug look. "I had no idea you had a thing for animals."

"BIRDS ARE COOL, OKAY?" Sting exclaimed.

Rogue smiled in response. "Where did you get those crumbs anyway?"

"Well on the way out, when you were washing your hands in the bathroom, I accidentally stepped on some bread on the ground so I just gathered the crumbs and voila!"

"Oh my god."

Sting grinned as he grabbed a handful of crumbs and thrusted them forward. Unfortunately, Karma was a bitch today because the wind blew them right back into his face. Rogue covered his mouth, trying so hard not to laugh. A bird came and landed on Sting's head soon after. It began pecking at his blonde locks and pulling at them as if they were worms. Sting shrieked in pain, and the bird left by leaving its droppings on him. "HOLY SHIT THIS IS FUCKING GROSS!"

Rogue burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach, trying not to fall of the bench. Sting was mesmerized by the sound of Rogue's laugh. It was just so adorable. He couldn't help but blush.

"Do you still think birds are cool, Sting?" Rogue asked after he forced himself to stop laughing. He wiped away the tears that escaped his eyes. Man, he hadn't laughed like that since forever.

"N-no..." Sting mumbled with a pout. "Aw man, my beautiful hair is totally ruined!"

Rogue took the bag from him and gathered a few of the crumbs. He held his palm flat out and waited patiently. Meanwhile, Sting was trying to clean the bird droppings off of his hair.

After a couple of seconds, a small bird landed on the palm of Rogue's hand and started eating the crumbs. Sting's eyes widened at the gesture. He watched with total admiration as a bunch of birds gathered around Rogue and ate the crumbs off his hands. Sting loved the look in Rogue's gleaming crimson eyes. 

"You're so good at everything! I'M SO JEALOUS!" Sting exclaimed. His loud voice scared the birds away. "O-oh no! Sorry!"

"It's okay," Rogue said as he put the remainder of the crumbs back. "D-do you really think I'm good at everything?" Sting nodded, giving Rogue another one of his signature smiles.

It was then and there that Rogue decided he would go out with Sting more often. As of right now, there was nothing more that made him happier than just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the fact that the angst turned into fluff. Heh, the next chapter will surely be a surprise.


	7. Only in the Agony of Parting Do We Look Into the Depths of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night spent at the local gas station + a mysterious new character.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really proud of this chapter but I hope you guys like it :D

Sting and Rogue spent the rest of the evening at the park that day. There was a sweet shop nearby so they bought some ice-cream and cake and had a little picnic under a really nice, big, shady tree. Afterwards, they took short walks, exploring the lustrous elements of nature around them. At this one point on their walk, Rogue got freaked out by a devilish-looking rabbit and Sting got really defensive so he threw a bunch of branches at the poor creature as it ran for its life. The white dragon slayer then claimed that he was Rogue's hero by picking him up bridal-style despite Rogue's grievances.

After ending their evening by watching the sunset together, the dragon slayers began heading back to the parking lot. The two of them walked side by side, their shoulders brushing against each other's every so often.

"Did you have fun, Rogue?" Sting asked with a grin. "Sorry it wasn't fancy and all...but I had a really good time."

"I don't think I've ever felt this happy before," Rogue said in response. He returned Sting's smile in an adorable fashion. Sting loved that smile so much. Since Rogue rarely ever smiled, it melted Sting's heart whenever he did smile.

"Remember yesterday at Minerva's party where I got dared to give you a piggyback ride?" Sting inquired, asking this question in a childish manner. Rogue nodded slightly, confused at why he suddenly brought it up. Sting squealed a  _Yes!_  in his head as he bent down and extended his arms out backwards. "Hop on!"

Rogue blinked a few times and then opened his mouth to protest but Sting just grabbed him and lifted him into his back. They nearly fell over from the sudden upward jolt but Sting managed to keep them balanced. Rogue was stunned from the sudden action. "S-Sting!"

"Sorry, Sting isn't here right now. Try again later. I hope you enjoy the ride." Sting smirked, referring to himself in the third person.

Rogue rolled his eyes and pouted as he held onto Sting tightly. "You always overdo it."

In a way, Rogue also felt that it was his responsibility to take care of Sting and keep him out of trouble. Right now was one of those times.

Sting carried Rogue all the way back to where he had parked his motorcycle. It was right by a gas station, and Sting immediately got an idea. "Yo, Rogue! Do you wanna go to the gas station?"

"Sure, but what for?" Rogue asked as he raised an eyebrow. He could practically sense that something was going to go wrong.

"Oh, you'll see," Sting chuckled as he ran towards the gas station entrance. Rogue had to hold on extra tight so he wouldn't fly off the energetic blonde's back.

The two of them entered through the sliding glass doors, greeted by a cool breeze. The entire gas station was completely desolate of people; the only ones there were the two of them and a guy at the counter. The man was fast asleep, clearly exhausted from his long day of work. Sting's smirk widened as he slowly set Rogue down. 

"I think this is the perfect opportunity for us to have some fun," Sting implied in a suggestive manner as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"STING!" Rogue shrieked as his face turned red. 

Sting slowly bent down and put a finger to his lips. "Shhh, we don't wanna wake up that guy over there."

Rogue let out a low playful growl as he tackled Sting to the ground. "WHY. ARE. YOU. DOING. THIS. IN. PUBLIC." 

"I'm sorry, did I set off perverted thoughts in your mind?" Sting asked, still keeping the smirk on his face. Rogue could tell his cheeks were starting to turn a little pink.

"S-Shut up!"

"Make me." 

"Sting, I swear-"

Rogue was interrupted as Sting snuck his hands underneath his jacket and began tickling him. Rogue tried to contain his laughter but it failed miserably. "Sting..*breath* S-STOP *breath* I'M GONNA *breath* END YOU *breath* JUST YOU WAIT!" Tears were practically spilling out of his eyes from laughing too hard, but Sting wouldn't stop. He wanted to hear Rogue's adorable laugh and feel the way he struggled beneath him. Quite sadistic, but he did have a reason.

Sting stopped tickling Rogue as soon as he heard the guy at the counter come close to awakening. He got off of Rogue quickly and helped him up as he rubbed the back of his head. "Heheh, sorry about that."

"Jerk," Rogue mumbled with a pout. He turned away from Sting and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Awee did I make someone mad?" Sting teased. He walked in front of Rogue and gently pinched his cheeks.

Rogue's pout only grew bigger and he stared down at the floor, trying hard not to meet Sting's eyes. "You're mean."

Sting dramatically clutched his heard. "Excuse me? Me, mean?" He pointed to himself.  "Oh  _NO_."

Rogue made a  _tch!_  sound as he looked away. Sting was glad that he was able to bring out a new side of Rogue. 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Sting apologized. "Forgive me?"

"Hmpf," Rogue muttered.

The White Dragon Slayer let out a sigh. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of something that he knew would make Rogue forgive him. His blue eyes lit up as he slowly walked over to one of the shelves and picked out a box of chocolate. Sting was able to figure out Rogue's little secret love for dark chocolate. He often found little wrappers in his backpack or jeans pockets. 

"Oh, Rooooogguuueee~" Sting called in a singsong voice. "Looook what I haveeee!"

When Rogue refused to respond or look his way, Sting pouted and stormed over to where he was. He shoved the box of chocolate in Rogue's face, causing his eyes to widen. He had no idea Sting knew exactly which type of chocolate he liked.

"H-how did you know I liked this?" Rogue asked, eyes glistening. He was somewhat frustrated that Sting was able to find his weakness so easily. 

"I know everything," Sting grinned with great confidence. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you." Rogue raised an eyebrow. "If you agree to do what I wanna do, then I'll buy you five boxes of these." Rogue was left speechless, and Sting decided to take that as a yes. "Don't worry Rogue, we're gonna have a lot of fun!"

Rogue couldn't help but smile at his childish behavior. "Alright, Sting. I'm gonna trust you on this...BUT AS LONG AS WE DON'T DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL."

Sting thought about it for a second. "NO PROMISES."

"Sting!"

Rogue didn't even have a chance to argue because he felt himself being dragged into the back of building. He just sighed and stood there as he watched Sting grab a bunch of items around the gas station. He had no idea what Sting was up to so he simply waited until he was done doing whatever the hell he was doing. 

"Fucking hell...WHERE ARE THE SUNGLASSES?" Sting screeched from the other side. Rogue pinched the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance. What did Sting need sunglasses for? It was nighttime for crying out loud, and the middle of winter.

The shadow mage continued standing there for what seemed like forever. He watched as Sting zoomed around each aisle and piled a variety of random items in a cart. Rogue held his gaze on Sting's expression the entire time; he watched the way his nose scrunched whenever he was frustrated and how the edges of his mouth outstretched in joy whenever he found something he needed. 

Being with Sting alone made Rogue so happy. It all felt so unreal, almost too good to be true. Just a couple of weeks ago, Rogue was some depressed mess who had lost almost all faith in the world. And then bam, one bad encounter, a rescue, and a party later, Sting and Rogue had become as close as two peas in a pod. It didn't even have to take long for them to accept and understand each other. Rogue felt as if he'd known Sting his entire life, even though in reality it had just been three days, and he was glad to have found him when he did. Sting was helping him out of his darkness; he had been taking care of him and making sure he was always happy. And it worked every time. Whenever Rogue was with Sting, he felt as if his depression was gone or never existed; however, Rogue's depression wasn't completely gone, in fact a good amount of it was still buried in his heart, but he felt himself slowly breaking free. 

"Alright, Rogue! Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm think I got everything I need now," Sting called as he shuffled over to Rogue. The entire cart was piled high with random items. "Follow me."

Rogue hesitantly followed Sting to the other end of the store, wondering what he had planned. There was some tall booth over there, the entrance covered by a curtain. Rogue had never seen one of these strange box-like structures before so he had no clue what was happening.

"Now do you want to hear what I have in mind?" Sting asked with excitement rising in his voice.

"Do I want to know?" Rogue asked. 

"Well I was planning to tell you whether you wanted to hear it or not." 

"I guess I have no choice then," Rogue said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, well, since today was one of the best days ever, I wanted to take some pictures with you! You know..so I could always keep the memory of our day spent together?" 

"Y-you treasure memories?"

"Of course!"

"Never saw that one coming."

"Hey! I have a pretty good memory, especially when it comes to important things! Like you!"

Rogue was delighted by this revelation. "Okay, so if we're taking pictures..th-then what are all of those things for?"

"So we can dress up, silly!" 

"Oh boy..."

"Come on Rogue! It'll be fun!"

"I have no choice, do I?"

"Nope!"

Sting grabbed Rogue's hand and pulled him to the corner. He told Rogue to stay still as he placed a white feather boa around his neck and dressed him up in a pink tutu. Rogue was exceedingly embarrassed but he felt better when he saw that Sting was wearing the same thing. 

"Sting, we look like complete idiots," Rogue pointed out, staring down at his pink skirt. "We're lucky nobody is here watching us."

"At least we look like idiots together," Sting chimed, putting an arm around Rogue's shoulder. "Oh, don't forget the magic wand!"

"What the hell, are we fairies or some shit?!" Rogue exclaimed. Sting gave him an  _omg_  look and Rogue raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Did I just hear you curse?" Sting asked with a small smirk. 

"D-Did I really?" Rogue stuttered.

"You're spending too much time with me," Sting chuckled. "You're picking up on my habits."

"Oh please, I'll never spend enough time with you," Rogue shot back. He then covered his mouth, realizing what he said. 

"Oh my god Rogue you're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" Sting tried to tease him but he was blushing deeply. He had to turn away so Rogue wouldn't notice. "Um, let's take the pictures now!"

He stepped into the booth and pulled Rogue inside. There was only one seat so Rogue ended up sitting on Sting's lap, and our little Sting didn't mind at all. He actually enjoyed it a lot. ~~(*wink wink*)~~

"Don't forget to show that adorable smile of yours," Sting reminded Rogue. 

"I feel so embarrassed wearing this..." Rogue mumbled. "But at least you look just as bad."

"Please, you know I look fabulous," Sting said, attempting to flip his hair. He ended up hitting his forehead against Rogue's instead.

"Ow..!" Rogue yelped. "Can Mr. Fabulous please not bash his head into mine?"

Sting rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!"

The two dragon slayers spent the next hour or so dressing up in different outfits and taking tons of pictures. They wore all sorts of crazy things, including clown outfits, band shirts, goth-related things, and even assorted costumes like onesies and such. This gas station surprisingly had all kinds of things.

Once they had run out of actual clothing items to wear, Sting made Rogue wear food items. The Shadow Dragon Slayer thought it was completely crazy; he had to wear sausages as bunny ears and a necklace made out of cheese, among other things. He thought it was all so preposterous, but with Sting around, he ended up having a lot of fun. Sting thought Rogue looked good in every outfit he made him wear and even took personal pictures of Rogue by himself, along with one of them together. The picture of Rogue in a bunny outfit was now set as Sting's lock screen wallpaper on his cell phone while the picture with Sting's arm around Rogue pouting was set as his home screen. Sting treasured all the pictures dearly, and he even bought a special album to store the hundreds of pictures they took that night.

* * *

"We should probably go home now," Rogue suggested after they finished cleaning up. "It's getting late..."

Sting nodded in agreement. "Okay. But first let me go buy you those chocolates you wanted."

"Sting, you really don't have t-"

Sting held out his finger as if he were silencing him. "Nuh-uh, I told you I would buy them so I will. Come on. You can wait outside while I pay for these."

Rogue nodded in defeat and walked outside. The cool air of the night greeted him with a not-so-warm welcome. Rogue took a seat on the bench right outside of the entrance as Sting tried to wake up the counter guy inside.

_"Rogue."_

Rogue turned his head after hearing someone call his name. "Who's there?"

_"It's me. You know."_

"Sting?"

_"No. I'm someone entirely different from that one."_

Rogue was utterly confused. He didn't know if he was imagining things or if there really was someone there talking to him. All he knew was that he couldn't see them, and it was starting to make him tense.

_"I'm with you all the time, Rogue. Don't you recognize my voice?"_

Rogue had to think for a minute. He knew he heard that voice somewhere...but where?

_"Must you really be this ignorant? I can't believe I'm a part of someone like you."_

"W-Who are you?" Rogue asked. Fear was rising within him and he didn't like it one bit.

_"You don't recognize me? Hm, well you have been sleeping soundly for a while now ever since you met that piece of trash. I guess you've lost your way."_

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rogue shrieked. He was trembling now; the voice sounded so malicious.

_"I'm your shadow, Rogue. The one who's always been a part of you, filling your head with endless nightmares. I was so close to taking over, but you just had to meet that abnormal human, didn't you?"_

"A-are you talking about Sting?"

_"Who else? He has ruined my plans, and I'm going to get revenge."_

"What plans? Revenge? D-don't even think about hurting him!"

_"Oh, dear Rogue, that isn't your choice as of yet. You're too weak. I control you now. I was so close to finally plunging your soul into eternal darkness, but this boy...Sting as you call him...he helped you out of this darkness...so my plan has been ruined!"_

Before he could respond, Rogue's vision suddenly faded to black. He tried to open his eyes, but even when he did, there was just more darkness. A shadow-like figure appeared in front of him, but it was hard to see due to the fact that he blended in with the surroundings. 

_"I have an offer, Rogue. If you stay away from him for the next few months, just until I can completely take over, I won't kill him now. How does that sound?"_

Rogue's eyes widened and his heart began pounding in his chest. Kill Sting? That was totally out of the question...if Sting was gone, his life would be unbearable. Sting was the reason Rogue was alive and somewhat happy right now. "T-That's stupid!" Rogue cried. "Why would you want to kill him?!" Rogue could feel the tears dripping out of his eyes like waterfalls. Tear stains coated his cheeks as he tried to keep his voice steady.

_"It's because he is interfering with my plans. I do not want him around you any longer."_

Rogue was about to respond but he heard the doors of the gas station open as Sting stepped out carrying the boxes of chocolate. 

_"Ah, looks like he's here. I'd hate to be here after you break his heart with this news. See you later, Rogue. And remember, I'm always here watching you."_

Rogue shuddered at the mere thought of something like that living inside of him. He knew it was there all along, because he heard it often in all of his nightmares. He just thought it was a figment of his imagination though, nothing more and nothing less.

"Rogue! Do you wanna open a box now?" Sting called from beside him. He walked up to Rogue wearing a huge smile on his face and blushing lightly. His smile almost faded away when he saw Rogue crying. "R-Rogue? What's wrong?"

"Sting...I..." Rogue squeaked out. He wanted to tell Sting about the shadow, but he knew that something terrible would happen if he did. Now that he knew that his shadow wanted to exterminate Sting, he couldn't take any chances.

Sting had a worried look on his face as he sat beside Rogue. He placed a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "Hey, talk to me. Come on, what's wrong?"

Rogue hastily pushed his hand off, much to Sting's surprise. "Please...go away..." Saying those words were insufferable, and his heart clenched with intense pain. More tears threatened to spill as they gathered in his eyes.

Sting seemed unaffected by Rogue's behavior. He still continued trying. "Rogue..what hurt you? I..why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"I c-can't...or else h-he'll..." Rogue began. A knot formed in his throat as he struggled to find the right words. That, and the fact that if he said anything more, the shadow might possess him and kill Sting right here and now.

"Who is 'he'? Rogue! What's happening?!" Sting tried to keep himself steady but he was feeling scared now. For Rogue and for himself.

"Please just stay away from me!" Rogue cried. He was going against everything he wanted. Rogue wanted nothing more than to be in the comfort of Sting's arms, hugging him tightly as Sting would rub his back and whisper soothing words into his ears.

But again, the world continued to be cruel to Rogue.

Rogue pushed Sting off the bench and he landed on the ground with a thud. Sting closed his eyes for a second in pain and shock but jolted right back up when he saw Rogue trying to run away. He quickly leapt forward and grabbed the sleeve of Rogue's shirt.

"What the hell, Rogue?!" Sting screamed, gripping Rogue's sleeve just like the way he did on Rogue's first day. "What's wrong? Please, you can't just leave without saying anything!"

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Rogue screamed back. He was full on crying now, sobbing just like he did every night he had been alone.

"Rogue...why? I promised I'd always be there for you! What's so wrong about telling me now?! You tell me everything!" Sting was crying, and that broke Rogue's already damaged heart. Great, how much worse could this get? Sting tried to pull Rogue back to him, but only ended up tearing the fabric. It was like a déjà vu moment. Sting's eyes widened as he saw new cuts all over Rogue's pale arm. "W-when did you do this...?"

Rogue bit his lip in frustration. "YOU SHOULDN'T CARE! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Rogue yanked his hand back and the force knocked Sting backwards to the ground yet again. He was all bruised now from falling on both sides of his body. It hurt to even stand up. After struggling to push himself up a little, Sting cried out to Rogue, screaming his name over and over until his voice died out into cracked whispers. 

Rogue heard Sting's calls loud and clear, and as much as he wanted to go back, he couldn't. If he really wanted to protect the thing he loved most, he had to let him go. Rogue forced himself to run further away from his crying partner; the intolerable feeling would now add to his ongoing nightmares. His tears sparkled in the moonlight as they flew behind him. Rogue didn't know where he was going, but he'd just keep going until there was nowhere left to go. He could feel it now, the feeling of his heart ripping in half. The unbearable feeling of not being able to see Sting's smile anymore, smell his delicious scent, hear is enthusiastic voice, or see him worry about him. Rogue was running straight into darkness, and there was no turning back.

* * *

Sting continued to sob uncontrollably as he wiped his blood on the sidewalk. He was so hurt and confused. He didn't understand why Rogue would suddenly abandon him like that and take off without much say.

Deep down, Sting knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. Something must've happened in the timeframe that Rogue was alone...and he was determined to find out. Sting also felt shrouded in guilt for letting Rogue out of his sight for even a second.

Despite what had just unfolded in front of him, Sting knew Rogue couldn't bear to leave him either. After all, how could he, after all that they've been through together? So what if it was only three days since they've known each other? They formed a strong bond, and bonds couldn't be broken that easily. Sting knew better than anyone that Rogue cared about him. He knew Rogue felt happy by his side and that's why he tried so hard to keep him close. Rogue was something dearly precious to him, and without Rogue, it was like a piece of his heart was missing. He had grown so attached to Rogue that he was even going to ask him if he wanted to move in with him. 

Sting clutched his cellphone in his hands as he gazed at the picture of Rogue that he had set as his lock screen. It was only moments ago that he and Rogue were having so much fun inside, but now it felt like years had passed. Sting's tears fell onto his screen in steady drops as he continued to stare at the picture. 

Pushing himself up and keeping his breathing steady, Sting tightened the grip on the cellphone, his blue eyes full of determination. He gazed into the distance towards the direction where Rogue had escaped to. "Rogue..you're such an idiot...if you really think anything that you do is gonna stop me from coming after you.." he huffed. "Don't worry. I made a promise and I"m going to keep it. I'm going to find you, and when I do, I'm never letting you go again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY could've done better with this chapter but I got lazy. It was way too rushed, or at least that's what I think. Oh also, sorry for the angst. It gets better though. I swear.


	8. Time Doesn't Heal Any Wounds. It's What You Do With Time That Does Heal Them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even if Rogue is ready to let go, Sting sure as hell isn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Attempt at Suicide.
> 
> This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster.

_“Rogue. Where do you think you’re going? Are you trying to run away from everything now?”_

Rogue remained silent, ignoring his shadow’s questions. He wasn’t in the mood for anything anymore. His feelings were overpowering him and that was making him more and more stressed out. He just wanted to escape it all: his feelings, his friends, and the entire world itself.

Lately, he had been feeling different. Ever since Sting had saved him, Rogue began to develop some strange new feeling inside. At first, it was completely normal having Sting in his life. He was just another friend that was accompanying him. But now, with each passing day, Rogue started seeing Sting... _differently._ He began to notice him more, if you get what I’m saying. He didn’t understand this newfound feeling. It confused him; he never felt this way about another person before. 

Only if he could spend the rest of his life with him. Even if Sting didn’t return his feelings, Rogue would still want to remain by his side for eternity. Nobody had ever taken him in like this before. Rogue had been alone for practically all his life. Even while at Phantom Lord, he didn’t feel like he belonged. He secretly felt unwanted or out of place, despite everything the members there had done for him. Sting, on the other hand, gave him a meaning, a reason to continue living, and infinite protection. He went out of his way to make Rogue happy, and Rogue was still touched by the fact that he even got himself suspended from the best school in Fiore just so he could save him. The same boy he had tortured on his first day. 

Rogue stopped for a minute. He was atop one of the skyscrapers decorating the vast city. He looked at the sight before him; all the darkness being complimented by street lights, neon signs, and even Christmas lights regardless of the fact that Christmas still over a month away. It made him think of Sting; the way he lit up the darkness within him and gave him a new meaning to hope.

Despite the fact that he was still crying, Rogue was able to smile. Even though he was probably never going to see Sting again, he was happy to have met him. He didn't care that they had only known each other for around three days. In Rogue's timeframe, he and Sting had known each other for years.

Because Sting was so precious to him, he'd make sure that he was safe at all costs. It was also a way of returning the favor for everything he's done. Rogue was happy that Sting would be able to live. It was a sacrifice he had to make for Sting’s well being. 

A new thought then popped into Rogue’s head. He tried to recall the shadow’s words from earlier. Something about it taking over his body and sparing Sting’s life...but only for now? Rogue came to the sudden realization that if he were to live any longer, no matter how far away he stayed from Sting, his shadow would take over and try to kill him. The thought itself sent shivers down his spine. That’s why he decided..right there and then..he would end his own life. If he could end it all just now, then nobody would be in danger. Well, Rogue didn’t really care for anyone else. He only wanted Sting to be safe. He didn’t even think it through. So you know what he did? He stepped off the freakin’ edge of the skyscraper.

* * *

“ROGUE, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”

Rogue's eyes widened soon after he had shut them tightly. He couldn't believe his ears. The voice he craved to hear was now echoing through the silent night, filling him with a sense of longing.

He had been plummeting to his death only mere seconds before, but now he found himself gripped tightly in a pair of strong, loving arms. In a flash, he reappeared in the spot where he was standing. Everything was happening so fast to the point where it was almost surreal.

“S-Sting?” Rogue whispered. He couldn’t believe what was happening. How was Sting able to catch up to him, hell, how was he able to even find him way out here?

“YOU..YOU..” Sting spit out, trying to contain his anger. “YOU LEAVE ME AND THEN TRY TO KILL YOURSELF?!”

Rogue was stunned by his frustration. He froze, his whole body shaking, unable to speak, but then he felt calmer as tears pooled in Sting’s deep blue eyes. Sting was crying. Rogue hated seeing him cry, even though he had only seen it happen once before. His mouth opened to say something, but no words came out. He was paralyzed in fear and confusion. He had to wait to catch up to time. 

“I..I..” was all Rogue managed to say. It came out in a soft voice, a barely audible whisper.

Sting gritted his teeth together and grabbed the collar of Rogue’s jacket, pulling him closer. He refused to meet Rogue’s eyes. A shadow hung over his head as he stared at the cement underneath them. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!”

Rogue’s lip quivered. He had never been more afraid in his whole life. Sure, he _attempted_ to kill himself multiple times, but now that he’d actually done it, and was this close to being dead, he felt a rush of panic surge through him. If Sting wasn’t there...he may have done something he would’ve regretted in the future. But right now, he didn’t regret it, or at least not as much. He had a reason for his actions, and it damn well was justified. 

Sting’s hands trembled violently. He could barely hold on to Rogue anymore. “Y-You know what could’ve happened i-if I wasn’t there at that exact second?” He inhaled deeply and exhaled in short breaths. He was so petrified at this point; his face was nearly drained of all color and dark circles clouded under his eyes. His body was bruised and scarred, nearly similar to Rogue’s own body. Tears left marks on his face like the traces of a slug on a leaf.

Rogue was finally able to find the words to say something. “I-I had to...for-”

He immediately stopped when he felt a sharp, stinging pain on his cheek. His ruby eyes slowly widened as time seemed to slow down around him. The shape of Sting’s hand burned onto Rogue’s pale skin.

“Any reasons you have...n-no matter how good they are...e-everything you claim to be a ‘reason’ i-is invalid...” Sting chided. The palm of his hand burned from slapping Rogue so hard. “I d-don’t care what the hell your ‘reasons’ were, don’t even think about doing that again! YOU HEAR ME?”

“Sting...” Rogue was at a loss for words again. “I don’t deserve you-”

Another slap. The sensation burned even more now. It was like Rogue’s delicate cheek was on fire.

“Shut the hell up, Rogue. You know what y-you’re saying is a lie.” Sting grabbed the hem of Rogue’s shirt from underneath his jacket and clenched his fist. He was trying hard to keep his voice steady, but this wasn't a light situation. “Listen here, w-when I first met you, I had no idea what you were going through. I-I was such a jerk...and I regret it so much...the w-way I treated you that day...” Sting was still sobbing, nearly hysterical. He tried to keep his voice unwavering. “I’m g-going to admit this now. I-I felt like...I needed to help you...because it was my responsibility...Rogue...I...I don’t want to make this about me b-but...my father died from depression when I was just a kid...and i-in a way, helping you felt like I was helping him.”

Tears bubbled up in Rogue’s eyes. He was about to start crying all over again. He had no idea Sting lost his father as well at the same age he did.

“B-but now, I’ve grown so attached to you th-that it’s driving me insane! It’s like..I..I can’t even go a minute without you! I-It started off with just me wanting to take care of you..but now..I..I..” He sniffled as he cupped Rogue’s cheek in his hand, softly kissing the part where he had slapped him so harshly. Rogue’s cheeks instantly grew warm from the gentle touch of Sting’s lips on his skin. “I want to protect you, Rogue! You mean the world to me...e-even if you think you don't...and it pisses me off when you do stuff like this! What happened?!”

Rogue slowly lifted his arm up and gently gripped Sting’s hand which was still placed on his cheek. He snuggled into his hand as he closed his eyes. “I-I had no idea you felt this way...especially towards someone like me..” Rogue let the tears fall from his eyes. They flowed smoothly down his cheeks, some dripping onto Sting's hand. “I feel the same, Sting. But we can’t...we can’t do this...I...”

“What is it?” Sting pleaded. His voice was cracking with each word. “Please, I’m begging you...tell me what’s wrong! I know something happened when you were alone! Why can’t you tell me what it is?!”

“I can’t believe you’re trying so hard for me...even after you know how I am...and all my flaws...and what I did to you b-back at the gas station...” Rogue shut his eyes tighter, expecting him to deliver another slap to his face. 

Sting used his other hand, the one that was gripping Rogue’s shirt, to lace his fingers through Rogue’s free hand. He slowly leaned forward and placed his forehead on Rogue’s. “Rogue. You may mess up, but you are not a mess up. You may make mistakes, but you are not a mistake. You may screw up, but you are not a screw up. You may fail, but you are not a failure. You are not your downfalls. You can learn from your past and create a better future. Things will get better, I know they will! And I’ll be right by your side for as long as we live. I promise Rogue...I swear, I won’t ever let you fall to the darkness again.”

Rogue felt as if his heart was going to explode. He was so touched, so moved by Sting’s words. He wanted those happy moments to exist in his future. He desired a future with Sting more than anything else. But Rogue was still in the darkness, and there were consequences.

_“Rogue, you fool! I warned you about this! Did you not heed my warning?”_

Rogue’s eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about the shadow in his moment with Sting. The White Dragon Slayer instantly noticed Rogue’s terrified state as he moved his head back a little, studying the Shadow Dragon Slayer’s face. “R-Rogue? Y-you okay?”

“Sting...!” Rogue sobbed. “I-I want to be happy...! I want to s-stay by your side!” 

Sting’s heart melted at his words. “You can, Rogue! That’s what I’ve been telling you!”

Rogue shook his head. He slowly removed Sting’s hand from his cheek. “We can’t...we can’t...w-we c-can’t...” Rogue repeated, almost as if he were trapped in a trance. He was shaking so much to the point where Sting had to hold him steady. 

“Why...Rogue..?” Sting asked for what seemed like the one hundredth time. “I don’t get it...what’s so wrong-”

Rogue was starting to go paranoid. The fact that his shadow could take over at any second drove him to a state of apprehension. “There’s something...inside...just run...Sting...far away... from me...” His voice came out raspy, as if something was gripping his throat. 

_“I’ll kill him right now. You better step away or else it’ll all be over.”_

“NO! DON’T!” Rogue screamed. Sting looked so worried and confused at the same time. It looked like Rogue was talking to someone else of which Sting couldn’t see or hear. He had no idea what was happening, because Rogue was the only one who could hear his shadow’s voice while it was still inside of him. Rogue looked at Sting with panicked, flickering eyes and tried to push him off. “Sting! Get out of here! Now!”

“Calm down, Rogue! What’s scaring you? There’s nobody here but us!” Sting tried to ease his tension a little but Rogue only seemed to be getting more and more hysterical.

“He’s coming! H-He’s c-coming! LEAVE! YOU HAVE TO GO! YOU C-CAN’T STAY HERE ANY LONGER! STING, PLEASE! I-I DON’T WANT YOU TO DI-”

Rogue was cut off as Sting grabbed his face and pulled him closer, kissing him smoothly and passionately. It was a long awaited kiss that finally took place, replacing Rogue’s fears and worries with a warm, happy sensation. Rogue’s nerves instantly eased and his eyes widened in surprise. His cheeks turned iridescently red. 

He looked at Sting for a moment, whose worried eyes were now closed and streaming with more tears. Rogue slowly closed his eyes as well, slowly giving into the kiss as his own tears fell onto Sting’s warm hands. His muscles relaxed. Now Rogue truly knew what this feeling meant: the best things in life couldn't just be seen, but rather felt within the heart.

_“DAMN YOU, ROGUE! I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS. I’LL BE BACK, AND WHEN I DO, I’LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!”_

The Shadow shriveled up and disappeared. The overwhelming feeling of love and joy emitting from Rogue’s heart had destroyed the shadow’s body. It still existed, unfortunately, but would no longer be there to bother Rogue for a matter of time.

After the two parted, Sting couldn’t stop grinning. He was still crying, and so was Rogue, but they were now tears of joy. The two of them looked away from each other for a moment to conceal their blushes.

“Rogue...it’s time I say..that...I...I...” Sting held out his hand and Rogue took it with a smile. He intertwined his fingers with Sting’s and wiped his tears with his free hand. “Rogue Cheney...I love...you...”

That really hit the nail in the head. Rogue never imagined that he would hear someone say those words to him in his lifetime. But now, here he was, sitting atop a skyscraper in the middle of the city, hearing it from the one person had fallen in love with. It made his heart fill with joy. Happiness. Something else Rogue never thought he’d feel. 

“Sting Eucliffe...I..I love you too..” Rogue squeaked out in a soft whisper. He was still embarrassed. 

Sting smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes as well. “Rogue, I want you to promise me something now.” His sapphire eyes connected to Rogue’s ruby ones. “I want you to promise me that you will come right to me whenever anything is wrong. No matter what it is, I’m _always_ going to be here for you. I want you to promise that you’ll never self-harm again, or ever attempt to kill yourself.” Sting laughed nervously, squeezing Rogue’s hand. “You scared the living daylights out of me. I was so scared of losing you that I nearly died myself. I think I’m still scared, to be honest.”

New tears formed in Rogue’s eyes. He didn’t think it was possible for him to feel touched by so many things from the same person. Not looking away from Sting's eyes, he took a deep breath. “I promise. I’m sorry for making you so worried...”

“It’s okay," Sting pulled him into a quick hug, burying his face into Rogue's neck. "And good. Now keep that promise, alright?"

Rogue nodded as Sting let go of him.

Sting turned his head to the side and started blushing more, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hm?” Rogue asked, tilting his head.

“I..I want to kiss you again..is that okay?”

Rogue blushed fifty shades of red but then nodded shyly. Sting’s smile widened as he tackle hugged Rogue to the ground and kissed the living hell out of him. His heart was now connected with Rogue’s. They were no longer separate, but rather conjoined as one in love and life itself. Their broken hearts had been mended together, sharing each other’s feelings.

“Hey, Rogue?” Sting mumbled into the kiss.

“Hmm?”

Sting slowly pulled away and then immediately embraced Rogue into a warm hug. He squeezed him tightly, not leaving even an inch of space between them. “Do you...want to move in with me?”

“I think I’d really like that,” Rogue answered with a smile, still blushing deeply.

“Ah, we’re going to be so happy together. I can just feel it.” Sting nuzzled his head into Rogue’s neck, breathing in his scent. “Oh and, one last thing..”

“What is it?”

Sting began blushing and then cleared his throat. He made sure to keep Rogue in their hug so he wouldn’t able to see his flustered face.

“D-despite the lies that you’re making...your love is mine for the taking...my love is..just waiting..to turn your tears to roses..” Sting sang in a soft voice. He was a little out of tune, but Rogue’s eyes widened as he recognized the lyrics.

“I will be the one that’s gonna hold you...I will be the one that you run to, my love is..a burning..consuming fire...”

Rogue couldn’t stop smiling.

“No, you’ll never be alone...when darkness comes I’ll light the night with stars, hear my whispers in the dark..” Sting continued, feeling more and more connected to the lyrics than he ever had before. “I will be the one that’s gonna find you...I will be the one that’s gonna guide you..my love is... a burning...consuming fire...”

“I love when you sing to me...” Rogue confessed through an embarrassed blush. “I remember you doing it that one night I stayed over..”

“Y-You heard that?!” Sting shrieked, his face turning red. “S-Shit I didn’t mean for that to happen, heheh.”

“Don’t worry. I really liked it~”

“Then here’s a proposal. How about we go home and relax? You know, just snuggling on the couch together and listening to music?” Sting suggested with a smile.

“W-will you sing to me before I sleep?” Rogue asked.

“O-only if you really want me to...” Sting whispered, still embarrassed. 

“Of course I do," Rogue assured.

“Then it’s a deal,” Sting confirmed, nodding.

Rogue couldn't resist saying the three special words one more time. “I love you...”

“I love you too!” Sting still couldn't believe how lucky he was today. For saving Rogue, and for finding out that his feelings were returned. 

Rogue smiled, feeling his heartbeat increase with each passing second.

Sting picked up Rogue and carried him on his back all the way across the city as they headed home. Rogue didn't even put up an argument this time. He was too happy to say no to anything, so all he could do was keep the smile on his face.

It was a beautiful night for two beautiful people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter mended your broken hearts.


	9. One Second Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bunch of crap shoved together into one chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more fluff for your enjoyment :D

Tonight, Sting was the one having trouble falling asleep.

He was constantly awakening every ten minutes, sitting up abruptly on the bed while sweating nervously. No, he wasn’t having nightmares; past memories just kept replaying in his head. He couldn’t get the thoughts or feelings of the night before out of his mind.

Just one second. One. Little. Second. One second that would’ve changed everything. If Sting wasn’t there at that very second, Rogue would’ve been dead. Gone forever.

He shuddered at just the thought. Even though he knew Rogue was alive right now, sleeping soundly, the feeling of dread refused to leave him. Sting snuck a glance at Rogue, who was only a few inches away from where he was. The blanket they were sharing was up to his neck, covering his whole body except for his head. He was breathing softly, his chest rhythmically rising and falling. 

The fact that Rogue still hadn’t told Sting what was bothering him really made Sting more nervous than he already was. Like he mentioned to Rogue himself, what started off as a simple mission to help another person with depression turned to an attachment, and soon transformed into love. Sting had fallen in love with Rogue the way a person would fall asleep-slowly, and then all at once. 

He was so afraid of losing Rogue that it was almost unbearable. He knew tougher times were ahead of him, especially with Rogue’s condition and the mysterious voice that he had only heard about a few hours ago. It was going to be hard, but Sting was willing to be Rogue’s light for eternity and prevent him from drowning in the darkness.

He looked at Rogue once more, admiring his calm face and defined features. Sting began to tear up a little, his mind returning to the previous thought of what might’ve happened if he was just one second too late. 

The white dragon slayer shook his head vigorously, trying to shake the thought away. No, Rogue was here with him now and he had to accept the relieving fact. He wouldn’t let the past hold him back. 

Sting wiped his tears and inched closer to Rogue. He slowly wrapped his arms around him and pulled the sleeping dragon slayer into his chest. He nuzzled into Rogue’s deep, dark hair and squeezed him tight, closing his eyes in the process. He was so happy that Rogue was right beside him and not buried under the dirt. Without thinking, he planted a kiss on top of Rogue’s head.

Rogue smiled in his sleep and his cheeks tinted with pink. Sting wanted him to keep that smile for as long as possible.

* * *

 

Rogue Cheney woke up to a familiar musk that he so greatly adored. He sniffed it deeply, the scent filling his nose and sending waves of pleasure into his system.

A new day was upon him, and he was greeted by it well. 

Rogue tried to move his arms up to rub his sleepy eyes and then stretch, but he soon found out that they were caught in-between another pair of arms-Sting’s. Rogue blushed as he realized the White Dragon Slayer was holding him close with no intention of letting go. He smiled a little, but it died down as he looked at Sting’s face. It was no longer bright and happy, glowing with pure joy, but rather worn out and stained with tears. His eyes looked like they were swollen, probably due to a lack of sleep. The bright color was nearly drained out. There were still a couple of bruises here and there, decorating his once clear skin like paint splatters on a white canvas.

Rogue hoped Sting didn’t stay up trying to check on him, because to make Sting suffer for his needs was something he just couldn’t bear, no matter how necessary it was. 

With a bit of effort, the shadow dragon slayer managed to escape Sting’s grasp. He carefully stepped off his new bed, the one he was sharing with Sting, before covering his lover up with the blanket as he tucked him in. Rogue planted a quick kiss on Sting’s forehead after moving the blonde locks out of his face. He hoped he didn't notice, but at the same time, he did.

Rogue tiptoed downstairs and went straight to the kitchen. He planned to make Sting breakfast in bed as a special thanks for always looking out for him. He dug through the fridge and found exactly what he needed in only a couple of minutes. Because he was familiar with Sting’s house, he knew exactly where most things were. He scooped out four eggs, a few slices of bread, some bacon, and the carton of orange juice. After that, he rummaged through the pantry and found an apron. It may have been pink with ruffled edges, but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Making sure to turn the air vent on beforehand so the scent wouldn’t leak upstairs, Rogue began to work on his surprise for Sting. He worked flawlessly; the eggs and bacon were cooked to pure perfection, the edges crisp and golden brown and not even a little burnt. They were also seasoned so well that it would put a professional chef to shame. Rogue made French Toast out of the bread slices and with a final touch of a glass of orange juice, he set it up almost nearing professional level before heading back upstairs to the bedroom.

* * *

 

Sting Eucliffe immediately awoke despite his utter sleepiness when the scent of something really, _really_ good drifted into his nose. “Man, did the cooking gods decide to bless me with something heavenly today?” he asked to nobody in particular.

Rogue stepped into the room right after he said that, making Sting's mouth fall open. His blue eyes sparkled at the sight of him. I mean, who wouldn’t be overwhelmingly happy to see the love of their life enter their room with a tray of delicious food, and to add to that, WEARING A FREAKIN’ ADORABLE PINK APRON? With drool escaping the edge of his mouth, he mumbled, “Damn, I must’ve done something amazing because THIS is truly a blessing...”

Rogue blushed when he noticed that Sting was awake. Sting quickly wiped away the small amount of blood coming out of his nose as he gave Rogue a bright smile. 

“I...I..made you breakfast! S-Surprise...” Rogue greeted with an innocent smile.

“Rogue, did I ever tell you how much I fucking love you?” Sting exclaimed.

The Shadow mage simply blushed in response. Just hearing the words “I love you” from Sting made his heart flutter. 

“Well if I haven’t,” Sting continued, “I’m gonna say it now. Rogue. Cheney. I. fucking. love. you. so. much.”

That statement only caused Rogue’s blush to deepen. He shyly walked over to Sting and handed him the tray of food, being careful not to spill the glass of orange juice. Sting took it with great exuberance, as if he’d gotten the best Christmas present ever. 

“I..I hope you like it..” Rogue stuttered. He turned around to head back downstairs to clean up but stopped as he felt himself being pulled backwards. Sting had grabbed the strings on the apron Rogue was wearing in an attempt to bring him closer.

“Like it? Oh, man, I sure as hell _love_ this,” Sting said as he licked his lips. The food was so tempting to him. He wolfed down the slices of bacon and omelettes, drank the orange juice, and then hurriedly wiped his mouth. “But what I love more is seeing you in that apron. You look so cute!”

“S-shut up...” Rogue muttered, not startled by how fast Sting ate and drank more than half of his breakfast. “Why do you have a pink apron anyway?”

“Uh...it was a present from Yukino and Minerva. They’re pretty good at cooking, well," he stopped himself for a moment before rephrasing, "They were the best I knew before I had a taste of your cooking of course.

So, when they found out I was trying to cook too, they decided I needed one of these. And Minerva being who she is obviously got me a pink one. I hated it till now but now I don’t mind at all, considering how good you look in it.” Sting placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin and gave Rogue a smug look. He then yanked the strings one last time, pulling Rogue onto the bed with him. He turned to his side and squished Rogue’s little cheeks, which were turning bright red. “And since I can’t cook for the life of me, I get to see you in it more often, am I right?”

Rogue nodded, the heat from his cheeks now spreading to his entire face. Sting started blushing too, and that eased the tension a bit. He didn’t want to seem like he was taking over Rogue or making him feel uncomfortable, because he really wasn’t.

Their eyes connected, and soon they were lost in each other’s deep, colorful voids. As Sting looked into Rogue’s beautiful ruby red eyes, he began to slowly realize how much his encounter with Rogue changed him for the better. 

Sting was one who never really cared about anyone but himself. He wasn’t trying to be a jerk, but he figured that it was the best way to avoid forming close bonds with people. After losing his father, the pain he felt was overbearing. He swore to never get close to anyone again, because he knew that life was unpredictable. One minute, things would be going really well, and the next, something terrible would happen. He didn’t want to ever feel the pain he felt when he lost his father, and that alone led to all of this. He didn’t have friends at school, but he did talk to Yukino, Minerva, Orga, and Rufus a couple of times when they had to work on projects together. Sting never really went over to their houses that often or hung out with them outside of school. In his heart, he knew getting too close would only result in disaster. 

But now, he was in a different light. After his encounter with Rogue, Sting discovered how important it was to have someone to care for. Having bonds and keeping those involved close to your heart was what made a person stronger.

Sting knew now that having someone to love was not a sin and it wasn’t wrong. ~~(*Gajeel sneezes in distance*)~~ All he needed was the courage and strength to protect people he cared about. Now, as he was still lost in Rogue’s beautiful eyes, he remembered how pure and warm it felt to have a connection with someone. Sting had made the choice himself to be Rogue’s caretaker and to prevent him from dying, so being close to Rogue was helping the two of them. Of course, at the time, he didn’t realize he would fall for the shadow dragon slayer. It was something he didn’t regret, though. He cherished it, and never wanted to let the feeling go.

Sting once again thought back to that moment the night before. Maybe that one second really did change everything. In way more ways than one.

* * *

 

**Bonus/Omake:**

The sound of the alarm disrupted Sting and Rogue’s little moment. They might’ve been lost in each other’s eyes forever if it weren’t for the shrill sound of Sting’s ever so annoying alarm. 

“Stupid cockblockin’ alarm...” Sting grumbled under his breath. He rolled over and tried to hit the snooze button but he was so tired that he kept missing his target. “GOD DAMN IT!”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” Rogue assured. He extended his arm out and hit the button, finally shutting the annoying thing off. 

“Thanks,” Sting said with a smile. After shoving the pieces of French Toast in his mouth, he rubbed his belly in content and stood up. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a plastic bag: The one he received from the gas station filled with the chocolates he bought for Rogue. “Hey, Rogue, how about a little chocolate for breakfast?~”

Rogue immediately turned his head, his eyes gleaming. Obviously he couldn’t resist the offer. Sting in his pajamas holding his favorite chocolate was like a dream come true. “S-Sure! Why not?”

“I hope you know that I’m going to be the one feeding you,” Sting warned with a smile. 

“I-I don’t mind,” Rogue said in response.

Sting’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he took his place on the bed beside Rogue. He ripped open one of the boxes and pulled out one piece of chocolate. “Open wide!~”

Rogue opened his mouth slightly as Sting fed him the chocolate. The flavor filled his mouth with the strong chocolatey flavor and each bite was better than the last. After swallowing it, he only wanted more. ~~;)~~

“Impatient little one, I see,” Sting teased with a smirk. He picked out another chocolate and fed it to Rogue. Rogue enjoyed every bite, and Sting even teased him by not letting go of it so Rogue had to pull it out of his hands as he threatened to bite his finger.

A few minutes passed, and soon the entire box was empty. Rogue was satisfied having eaten chocolate for breakfast. It was even better that Sting was the one feeding him. 

As he swallowed the last bite, he noticed that Sting was gazing at him. His cheeks slowly returned to turning pink. “W-What are you looking at?”

“You have a little..chocolate on the edge of your mouth..” Sting whispered. He leaned in closer and grabbed Rogue’s chin, tilting it sideways. Rogue’s blush only deepened as Sting softly licked the side of his mouth, cleaning off all the remaining chocolate. Rogue couldn’t shake the tingly feeling he felt inside. It felt really good, and it made him want more.

“Awe Rogue, you didn’t save any for me!” Sting complained after he finished licking off every last bit of chocolate. 

“S-Sorry...” Rogue apologized in embarrassment. He didn’t know that Sting had wanted some.

“Ah, don’t worry, there’s another way,” Sting assured with a smirk.

Before Rogue could do anything, his lips were met by Sting’s. Rogue’s eyes widened and his entire face turned a bright red. The kiss was short and sweet, but Sting and Rogue savored every second of it.

Sting couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot afterwards. He just couldn’t get enough of Rogue. 

“Why are you smiling like that?!” Rogue shrieked, already feeling super embarrassed. “S-Stop..!”

“I’ll stop after your smile stops being so beautiful,” Sting said. “And we all know that’s impossible.”

Rogue growled softly and widened his smile, bearing his fangs. He expected Sting to move back in fear or shock but he only received a gasp. He thought Sting was going to give him the same reaction but he only said one thing.

“Oh damn, Rogue. You. Are. Just. So. Fucking. Hot.”

Rogue’s face was burning a bright red at this point and he quickly buried his face into Sting’s chest. Sting only smiled and softly stroked Rogue’s hair. “Hey, Rogue, I know what we’re going to do today.”

~~(*Phineas sneezes in distance*)~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry updates have been slow, I had 8 tests this week and didn't have time for anything else but studying. Thank god the week is over and that we have Friday off. Btw I know this chapter was crap and I'm sorry I didn't even know how to edit it T^T


	10. The Beauty of Nature is the Nature of Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting has something exciting planned. Added bonus of him being a big dork as usual <3 (wow I'm so good at summaries *sarcasm*)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more fluff~! :D

“I have something exciting planned for us,” Sting exclaimed as he leaped out of bed with full enthusiasm. 

Rogue nearly fell onto the floor from his sudden movement. “W-What are we gonna do?” he questioned, gripping onto the bedsheets. 

“Oh, you’ll see. Here, get dressed!” Sting yelled as he shuffled through his closet. He threw a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt at Rogue, who took them in confusion and rushed into the bathroom without any further questions.

“HEY ROGUE, WHY DON’T YOU CHANGE IN FRONT OF ME?!” Sting called in a teasing manner as he watched Rogue lock the bathroom door. He continued digging through the closet looking for something which seemed to be hidden away under the mount of junk stored in there. 

“S-Shut up..!!” Rogue squeaked back in embarrassment at Sting's teasing. He had no idea what Sting was up to but he followed his orders anyway. 

Rogue slowly stripped off his clothes, washed his face a bit, and then put on the new clothes Sting gave, well rather threw, at him. He tied his hair up into a ponytail for the first time. He had grown slightly more confident after meeting Sting, and he wanted to change something about his appearance to prove that. Rogue set his hair in place and looked at himself in the mirror, staring into his own deep, red eyes as thoughts raced through his head. The Shadow Dragon Slayer couldn’t help but notice the scars scattered across his arms and the large one decorating the bridge of his nose. He studied them carefully as if he were trying to figure something out.

“Roooooggguuuueee! Are you ready yet? Come on, we have to leave now!” Sting called from the other side. Rogue quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze and twisted the doorknob. Whatever Sting was up to, he was ready, or was he?

Sting stood impatiently as he waited for Rogue to come out of the bathroom. His nerves felt all tingly, as he felt excited for today’s upcoming events. He had a camping trip planned, and it was clearly portrayed through the way he was holding a shit ton of camping gear. He looked like he was going to fall over from the enormous load he was carrying.

The camping trip was Sting’s idea of perfection. He wanted to get Rogue away from everyone and everything and spend some alone time with him way out in the woods where nothing could bother them. He made a promise not to ever leave Rogue’s side, so he was going to stick to him like glue the whole time. Sting loved the way Rogue interacted with nature, so that was another added bonus.

“Alright I’m here, now could you please tell me where we’re goi-” Rogue began as he stepped out of the bathroom. 

“Finally! You’re here!” Sting interrupted. The minute he turned around, his blue eyes widened and he dropped all the bags he was carrying after losing his balance. He toppled onto the floor but kept his eyes locked on Rogue’s face. His mouth fell open as he stared at Rogue, unable to look away.

Rogue took a step back, eyeing Sting with a confused expression. “Um, Sting? I-Is everything okay?”

“JAJDIJEIEIJFKAJJEIJAEEJFAOIJFOHGHGIOFIJOWEWIORFIOHTIHHIO!!!” Sting shrieked while making some inhuman noise.

“Excuse me?” 

“JJIAEJIEFIJOEIJOIJWOIJGHGIOREIOE!!”

“Uh, I don’t speak gibberish...”

Sting tried to speak but all that came out were squeaks, squeals, and deep breaths. Rogue was starting to get worried. 

“Sting, are you sure you’re o-”

“OH MY FUCKING GOD YOU LOOK SO HOT IN A PONYTAIL ASDFGHJKL!” Sting blurt out, panting heavily. He scrambled to his feet seconds after and leapt towards Rogue, tackling him in a hug. Rogue’s eyes widened as a blush quickly spread across his entire face. He could feel the weight and warmth of Sting’s body on top of his own.

“S-Sting!! What are you-” Rogue squeaked out.

Sting began smothering his face with kisses and the blush on Rogue’s face only deepened into a dark shade of red. 

“STING STOP IT TICKLES!” Rogue cried, trying not to laugh. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes from holding in his laughter. He was secretly enjoying this a lot but didn’t want to admit it.

Sting stopped right away and apologized quickly, but he didn’t regret it one bit. “Sorry Rogue, I-I couldn’t resist...” His blue eyes sparkled as he reached out to hold a strand of Rogue’s hair. He twisted it around his finger and admired the black locks as if they were a piece of gold. 

Rogue was silent. He watched as Sting played with his hair and couldn’t help but smile a little. He tried to hide his blush but it continued spreading like a wildfire.

“I have to take a picture of this!” Sting said, pulling out his phone.

“N-No! I don’t want my picture taken!” Rogue shrieked, covering his face.

“Please Rogue?” Sting pleaded, opening the camera app on his phone. He held it over Rogue’s face, ready to take the picture.

“N-no,” Rogue mumbled in response.

Sting gently held Rogue’s hand and moved it out of the way as he kissed his nose, the spot where his scar was. The tingling sensation sent a warm vibe through Rogue’s body. 

“You’re beautiful. Please let me capture your beauty,” Sting said in a soothing voice. “I love you.”

Those three words again. Rogue’s heart began to flutter in his chest. He shyly looked into Sting’s eyes and held his gaze for a while. “I...”

“You’re everything to me. And you look perfect,” Sting continued, knowing Rogue was at a loss for words. He took this as an opportunity to take a picture of him, of which he did successfully. “You don’t have to be afraid around me. I love you just the way you are and there’s nothing you can do to make me think otherwise.”

“S-Sting...”

“Actions speak louder than words,” Sting said with a wink. He positioned himself and then lowered his face to get closer to Rogue’s. And with that, he softly placed his lips on Rogue’s and kissed him passionately, showing Rogue how much he really loved him through a single action. 

It may have gone on longer if the alarm clock didn’t scare the living daylights out of them.

“NOT AGAIN!” Sting complained as he moved back in surprise. The shrill noise made him jump nearly 3 feet in the air as he fell backwards on his rear end. “Guess the damn thing is telling us we need to go...”

Rogue blushed, placing his fingertips on his lips where Sting had just kissed him. He cherished the touch, and Sting’s kind words continued ringing through his mind. It made him happy to the point where he almost started crying.

“Let’s go, Rogue.” Sting held out his hand with a smile after standing up and Rogue gladly accepted. Sting helped him up and then gathered all the bags once more. He tried to shift all the bags into one arm so his other arm could be free.

“Why are you carrying all of that one-handed?!” Rogue asked, getting worried. He could practically envision Sting falling over any second. 

“So I have one free hand to hold your hand, silly,” Sting chuckled. Before Rogue could respond, Sting grabbed his hand and immediately intertwined their fingers. He gave Rogue his signature grin before walking out the door.

“Camping trip, here we come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna be super long. Just sayin'. Hope you guys are ready.


	11. Camping is More Than Just Getting Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camping trips always turn out better than expected, especially with Sting's ongoing list of ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day! In celebration of the holiday, I present you with a super long chapter (11k words)! I hope you enjoy all the fluff~! ^w^

Some might say camping trips are full of surprises. A few of them are unexpected, others are not.

It was just another ordinary day. The sun was shining bright in the sky, the clouds were covering up the blue horizon ever so slightly to retain some heat, and the cool autumn wind was blowing swiftly through the air. It was the perfect weather for a day of camping.

“Finally...we made it...” Sting huffed as he stopped in front of a large tree. 

“W-Where are we, exactly?” Rogue asked from behind Sting. He was perched upon Sting’s back, being carried in a piggyback ride. Rogue had come to realize that Sting very much loved to carry him every chance he got. It was flattering, but he didn’t want Sting to tire himself out. “Also, y-you can put me down now...”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Sting assured. “We just need to wait for the vehicle transporting our things to get here. And to answer your previous question, we’re at one of my favorite camping sites. I used to come here all the time when I was a kid.”

Rogue smiled a little. He thought it was really nice of Sting to bring him to one of his favorite places. As he gently nuzzled into Sting’s neck, Rogue noticed the beads of sweat gliding down his soft skin. It must’ve been hard for him to walk all this way, especially with the extra weight of Rogue on his back. 

“Sting, you look exhausted, can you pl-” Rogue began.

“I said I’m fine!” Sting protested, not letting him finish that statement. 

Rogue shifted uncomfortably, feeling guilty about the fact that Sting carried him the entire way. He said he could walk but Sting wouldn’t listen, he simply insisted that it was his responsibility. Rogue had no idea why carrying him fifty miles was a “responsibility” but he couldn’t muster up the courage to refuse. 

Sting and Rogue equally shared the same weakness of motion sickness, so riding in a train or a car or any sort of vehicle really was out of the question. Rogue actually preferred walking; he really loved the fresh air and the nature surrounding him. And to be on Sting’s back the entire time was like a dream come true. 

“Sting, please. Put me down,” Rogue tried again. As much as he loved being on Sting’s back, he could practically feel Sting’s arms trembling from exhaustion.

This time, Sting couldn’t refuse. If Rogue didn’t back down after three tries, he was serious. Sting had learned this through the time he spent watching Rogue all throughout the first quarter in that one class that they shared. Not to mention stalking him in the hallways sometimes. He had to thank the fact that Rogue never noticed, because he may have had avoided him at all costs if he knew _that_ creepy bit of information...

The White Dragon Slayer sighed and set Rogue down, already missing the warmth on his back. Some of the feeling still remained though, but it just wasn’t the same as Rogue actually being there.

“S-so, what do you have planned?” Rogue asked. It was his first time camping, so he had no idea what to expect.

“Fun things. A _lot_ of fun things,” Sting answered childishly, grinning. 

A medium-sized truck came rumbling from the distance down the rocky trail, heading towards Sting and Rogue’s general direction. Black smoke filled the atmosphere as it got closer, spurting more and more gas.

“About time.” Sting walked up to the truck as soon as it stopped and unloaded all of their gear. There were quite a lot of things, so the truck driver had assisted in unloading as well. That made the whole process go by a lot faster.

A few minutes later, all of their bags were placed where they would be camping out for the night. As Sting set the last bag down with a grunt, he smiled, almost unable to contain his excitement. He had so much to do with Rogue and knew that he was going to find more reasons to love him.

“You could’ve asked for my help...” Rogue said as he approached Sting. “You didn’t have to carry all of those yourself.”

“Well I don’t want my precious little shadow to do any unnecessary work,” Sting said back with a smile.

“P-p-precious little s-shadow...?” Rogue stammered, his face entirely red. 

“Mhm,” Sting hummed, gradually walking over to Rogue and kissing his forehead.

Rogue tried hard not to heat up but it was practically impossible. Whenever Sting so much as touched him, he felt himself lose control. The feeling was so overwhelming and yet so... wonderful. “B-but we’re the exact s-same height! So you can't call me little!”

“Nuh-uh, I’m taller,” Sting grinned. He raised his hand over his head and drew a line with his palm from his head to Rogue’s.

Rogue pouted, seeing him angle his hand a bit more upwards. “Th-That’s only because your hair sticks out more!”

“Excuses, excuses,” Sting joked, shaking his head.

“Listen here you-” Rogue began, gently pushing his forehead up against Sting’s. 

Sting immediately blushed, not expecting the abrupt action from Rogue.

Rogue caught on to Sting’s blush right away, and after realizing what he had done, he quickly retreated and turned away in embarrassment. Sting just stood there blinking with a dorky smile on his face, wanting to see this dominant side of Rogue more. He made it his goal for the day to bring it out of him as much as possible. He needed more of it, and he'd take as much as he could get.

After a couple of seconds of silence, Sting spoke up. “You know, my hair was no problem for you on our second night where we slept together~”

“D-Don’t say it like that!” Rogue shrieked, looking around frantically and hoping nobody heard that. There wasn’t anybody there but the two of them, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "That has nothing to do with this!"

“Oh my, someone’s getting not-so-innocent thoughts,” Sting laughed nervously, trying his best to hide the embarrassment flushing through his cheeks. Rogue gave him this new feeling that he never thought he’d experience, and it drove him crazy. A good kind of crazy.

“S-Stop!!” 

“You had your hands intertwined in my hair, and boy that was a damn good feeling~”

“Stiiiiiiinggg!”

“Rooooogggguuueeee!” Sting mimicked, smirking.

“ST..IN..G..” Rogue gritted his teeth together in slight annoyance.

“Oh my God you’re so cute when you’re angry,” Sting whispered. He quickly took Rogue’s hand in his and walked to the nearby lake. The crystalline water sparkled in the sunlight, casting a warm glow at the surface.

Rogue’s slight frustration died down within a matter of seconds. He sat down on a large rock beside Sting, their hands still in each other’s and their fingers now intertwined. Sting gazed up at the sky, lost in its eternal beauty, as he subconsciously swung their hands back and forth like a pendulum. Rogue sat there quietly, admiring Sting’s features that brightened even more with the sunlight.

“So, Rogue,” Sting said after a while, still looking up at the sky. “What do you think that cloud looks like?” 

Rogue angled his head sideways, trying to figure out what he was talking about. “Which one?”

“Come closer,” Sting whispered. 

Rogue blushed and scooted closer to Sting. Sting wrapped his arm around Rogue’s shoulders and pulled him in closer so that Rogue’s cheek was touching his. Rogue’s face became an even brighter shade of red as he followed Sting’s gaze to a huge, puffy cloud.

“Now tell me, what does that look like to you?” Sting asked once more.

“I..I see...” Rogue began, squinting so he could get a better view. “It looks like...a heart to me...”

“...and there are two people making up each side of it,” they finished together.

“I see that too,” Sting said with a smile. “You know, they say that when you and someone else share the same view on a cloud, it means that they have a strong bond?”

“R-really?” Rogue asked, intrigued. He hadn’t noticed that he squeezed Sting’s hand tighter.

“To be honest I’m not one hundred percent sure, but it’s just what I believe,” Sting said with a smile. He slowly turned his head to kiss Rogue’s cheek before nuzzling his nose. His blue eyes were fixed on the grass beneath them. “In this world, everything is said to be set in stone. Destiny, fate, all that crap. Sometimes, we think all of that is true. And it could be. We feel like there are things we can’t change or that things won’t change for the better or worse and that our lives will stay bad or good forever. But that isn’t true. At least not to me. If we always have hope and if we always believe, we can control our future. We shouldn’t expect the world to bring happiness to us, but rather we should journey for our own happiness, and when we find it, we take it and never let it go.”

Rogue’s heart started pounding in his chest. Sting’s words were really deep, piercing into Rogue’s soul like a blade. It had so much meaning to him, because throughout his whole life, until the day Sting saved him from Jiemma, he truly thought that his life would remain an endless pit of agony forever. Now it was Rogue’s turn to believe, to believe in Sting’s words, his promises, and the idea of a bright future.

“S-Sorry I just get really into things sometimes and I say things I don’t mean to say out loud I've just been keeping them inside for so long because of Jiemma that asshole and his strict rules and-”

“No, that was beautiful,” Rogue interrupted. “I..It really meant something to me.” Rogue quickly wiped a tear escaping his eye.

“No way, I made you tear up?! Awe come on, what I said wasn’t that good! Was it?” Sting used his free hand to rub the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

“It was, you idiot,” Rogue smiled. “Remind me to let you zone out again so I can hear more of your beautiful speeches.”

“Rogue...” Sting began. 

“Sting.”

The two of them held each other in a loving embrace. Hope resided in Rogue’s heart, and in Sting’s as well. 

Once they parted after a nice, long hug, Sting suggested the idea of skipping rocks in the shallow lake nearby. Rogue agreed, and the two of them pulled up the bottoms of their sweatpants and took off their boots as they stepped into the water. 

“C-cold!” Sting shrieked, jumping into Rogue’s arms the minute his foot touched the water. 

Rogue held him bridal-style, not expecting the sudden action. “It’s not that bad.”

“YOU MUST HAVE MAGIC FEET OR SOMETHING,” Sting exclaimed, shivering. “I-It’s too cold for me!”

“Try standing in a sunny area,” Rogue suggested. He slowly set Sting down but Sting leaped back into his arms again.

“N-Not helping!”

“Man up,” Rogue said suddenly. His smile transformed into a smirk. 

This was the first time Sting saw Rogue’s smug side, and he immediately felt the tip of his ears burning as a blush rose to his face once more. He bit his lip, trying to contain himself. 

“GOD DAMN IT ROGUE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO HOT?!” Sting tackled his off-guard partner into the water, the two of them now getting soaked up to the waist in ice-cold water.

“STING!” Rogue yelled.

“O-oh, s-s-sorry, I th-thought you were f-f-fine in the c-cold,” Sting stuttered, his teeth clattering from the chills he felt. He still managed to pull off a smile.

“You’ll pay for this,” Rogue warned, a fire burning in his crimson eyes. He quickly sat up, gently pushing Sting off of him, and then splashed him with water.

“R-R-Rogue!” Sting screamed, trying to block Rogue’s water attacks. “S-S-Stop, please!! I-It’s so cold!!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your ego. Can you say that again, please?” Rogue joked, continuing to splash Sting with repeated blasts of cold water.

“ROOOOGGGUEEE!” Sting whined. His body was basically shriveling up. “A-Ahh, come here you little shit.” Sting pushed himself forward and grabbed onto Rogue, squeezing onto him tightly. His hug soaked the rest of Rogue’s once-dry clothes. 

Rogue smiled, returning his hug and not minding his clothes getting wet. “We’re the same height, so you can’t call me ‘little.’” Rogue glanced upwards and saw a huge tree above them, and right there, growing from one of the extended branches, was a really beautiful and exotic looking flower. Rogue was very intrigued with that flower, and before he could reach up for it, Sting grabbed his arm.

Sting caught onto his gaze and smirked. “Why don’t you let me get that for you, shortie?”

“YOU DID NOT JUST-”

“Oh, I did,” Sting’s smirk only widened. “Can your tiny little self not reach it? Don’t worry, you’re lucky your super awesometatiousful boyfriend is here to save the day.”

“SHUT UP I’M JUST FINE.”

Sting started laughing while Rogue stood there with his arms crossed, a pout taking form on his lips.

Sting stopped laughing to look at Rogue once again. “You know, when you make that face, it looks like you want me to kiss you.”

“I-”

Sting interrupted him by placing his lips against Rogue’s, giving him a sweet, soft, and innocent kiss. Before pulling away, he plucked out the flower from the tree branch and placed it in Rogue’s dark hair. The bright colors contrasted with Rogue’s black locks, creating a perfect balance of darkness and light.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful,” Sting sighed in content. 

Red filled Rogue’s cheeks, matching one of the petals on the flower. 

Sting smiled and offered his hand to Rogue. “Let’s get out of this water before we freeze our asses off.”

Rogue gladly accepted his boyfriend’s hand as they stepped out of the lake. After they ascended onto the pebbled land, Sting began his search for the smoothest and roundest rocks for rock-skipping. 

Rogue sat back down on the rock they were sitting on earlier as he watched Sting carefully observe each of the stones to figure out which ones were the best. His crimson eyes never left Sting’s figure. He loved the way Sting’s eyes lit up when he managed to find a well-shaped rock. It took a couple of minutes for Sting to find a decent amount of perfect stones, but Rogue didn’t mind waiting at all. Not only was he a very patient person when it came to things he loved, but he was having a good time watching Sting on his little quest.

“Aren’t these the best stones you’ve ever seen in your entire life?!” Sting exclaimed, rushing over to Rogue with the handful of smooth-edged objects. “We’re gonna beat all kinds of records with these babies.”

“Definitely,” Rogue agreed, nodding. He followed Sting back to the edge of the lake, right where the water slowly swayed back and forth and made contact with the stones above ground. 

The two of them took a few steps backwards, positioning themselves. 

“Okay, on the count of three, we throw them at the same time, got it?” Sting asked, turning his head to look at Rogue for a second. Rogue simply nodded back in response, clutching the small pebble in his hand.

“One...two....three!”

The two of them gracefully tossed their stones into the water. Rogue’s skipped three times while Sting’s skipped four times. Rogue was impressed. He’d never seen anything past his usual three. 

“Wow, that was perfect!” Rogue exclaimed. “I can never go past three.”

Sting handed Rogue another rock and took a deep breath. Quietly, he began singing a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWWSo_kdaZ0) that just popped into his head. “I’m not perfect, but I swear I’m perfect for youuu!”

Rogue's cheeks tinted with a light shade of pink. His eyes quickly darted to Sting, watching him with full admiration. Rogue loved Sting’s singing so much. It was sweet to hear his voice in a melodic tune, and it really was something to look forward to. Rogue was glad when Sting didn’t shy away from what he loved.

“And there’s no guarantee, that this will be easy. It’s not a miracle you need, believe me! Now I’m no angel, I’m just me. But I will love you endlessly! Wings aren’t what you need, you need me...” Sting continued.

“Th-That was beautiful,” Rogue sniffled. He couldn’t stop smiling now. His heart beat faster in his chest.

Sting quickly turned away, his face burning bright red. He did sing in front of Rogue before, but this was his first time just breaking out into it because he felt like it. He was happy that Rogue liked his voice; he always thought he was a terrible singer. 

“Y-you need to sing with me,” Sting stated, taking a deep breath. “That one part I just sang...it’s my favorite part from that song.”

“M-Me? B-But I can’t sing!” 

“Yes, silly. Who else? And we won’t know until you try.” Sting slowly felt himself gaining confidence.

“B-But-”

“I’m not perfect, but I swear I’m perfect for you!” Sting started, grabbing Rogue’s hand and pulling him into the lake. 

Rogue opened his mouth but nothing came out. He wasn’t ready...but Sting’s smile gave him a new hope. He swallowed nervously and wiped his free hand on the side of his pants. “A-And there’s no guarantee...that this will be easy....” Rogue sang softly.

Sting gasped, exceedingly astonished by Rogue’s singing voice. It was so beautiful, and so unbelievable. Why the hell was Rogue hiding such an amazing voice? Sting was almost jealous. He had to hear more of it right away. 

Sting stepped into the lake, this time not affected by the coldness. “It’s not a miracle you need, believe me!” Their actions made their little duet seem like a music video.

Rogue followed behind, not letting go of Sting’s hand. “Now I’m no angel...I’m just me!” Rogue was now starting to gain a bit more confidence.

“But I will love you endlessly!” they sang in unison. Sting took Rogue’s arm and spun him slowly. “Wings aren’t what you need, you need me!”

The two of them playfully danced together -Sting leading and Rogue following- in the water, laughing and singing together. It was truly memorable, and the sky displayed a showcase of different colored lights to really set the mood.

“Damn Rogue, I can’t believe you never sang before. Your voice is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard in my whole life. It’s better than any song I’ve listened to,” Sting said after they took small break. He cupped Rogue’s cheek as water dripped from his blonde strands of hair. 

The White Dragon Slayer placed his forehead against Rogue’s and closed his eyes, lost deep in thought. How was he this lucky to have met Rogue? He was perfect in every way. His hair, his voice, his smile, his laugh, his face, just _everything_! Sting never believed he would fall for someone like Rogue. Hell, he didn’t know he would fall for anyone at all, really. 

Because Rogue was the first person Sting fell in love with, he lacked experience in relationships, but he felt safe knowing it was Rogue’s first time being in a relationship too. He hoped that this would be his first and last relationship, because he wanted to stay with Rogue forever. Things had been going great so far. I guess if you really do love someone, nothing is as bad or as scary as it seems at first glance.

“I just thought of another song we should sing!” Sting exclaimed. “W-Well it might be a little embarrassing...but I heard Yukino playing it and singing it with Minerva and I kinda just got attached to it too...”

“What is it?” Rogue asked with a smile. His cheeks were still red from embarrassment. He never imagined himself to sing in front of anyone, but with Sting, he felt as if his restrained voice could be set free.

“I-It’s called [Drag me Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwgf3wmiA04)...have you heard of it?” Sting asked sheepishly.

“Only about a hundred times,” Rogue whispered. “Sometimes when I sat alone in my room, I turned on the radio and that song would always be on. I didn’t see myself liking it, but I do have it stuck in my head. So I know the lyrics.”

“G-great! But if you don’t like it...then we can sing another one,” Sting choked. He felt like he could’ve done better.

“No, I’ll sing anything with you...!” Rogue assured. “But only for you.”

Sting laughed. “Oh man, we’re cheesy as hell.”

Rogue joined in with his laughter. “We sure are.”

Sting leaped up onto a rock and stood there with pride, placing his hands firmly on his hips. “I’ve got a fire for a heart, I’m not scared of the dark, you’ve never seen it look so easy! I’ve got a river for a soul, and baby you’re a boat, baby you’re my only reason!”

“S-Sting!” Rogue stared down at the rippling water, blushing. Sting was so bold and outgoing, something which Rogue was incapable of being as of right now. Also, the word ‘baby’ made him feel a little uneasy as he wasn’t very fond of popular or common things.

“Don’t worry, nobody else is here!” Sting assured. “Come on, it’s your turn. You did great just a few minutes ago! Don’t leave me hanging, my little shadow.”

Rogue continued staring down into the water, still embarrassed. His confidence had sunk down again a bit, but he hoped to bring it back up. “I-If I didn’t have you there would be nothing left, the shell of a man who could never be his best, i-if I didn’t have you I’d never see the sun, y-you taught me how to be someone.”

“Yeaaahh~” Sting sang, smiling. Rogue’s voice gave Sting more confidence.

“All my life, you stood by me, when no one else was ever behind me! All these lights, they can’t blind me, with your love, nobody can drag me down!” They sang together. Rogue’s comfort levels were now going up.

Now Sting was really getting into it, so he started dancing. And to Rogue’s surprise, he was actually really good at it. Rogue was now wondering why he wasn’t some sort of professional dancer on TV because _damn_ he was looking super badass right now.

“Nobody, nobody!” Sting continued. “Nobody can drag me down! Nobody, nobody!” He looked at Rogue, signaling him to join him. “Ooh hold on, you should sing the back up vocals for the next two parts, that would be perfect!”

Rogue nodded quickly, agreeing to anything but dancing. 

“I’ve got a fire for a heart, I’m not scared of the dark, you’ve never seen it look so easy! I’ve got a river for a soul, and Rogue~ you are _my_ boat, baby you’re my only reason~!” Rogue blushed even more, so much that he felt like he was going to pass out any second.

“If I didn’t have you there would be nothing left!”

“N-Nothing left!” 

Sting nodded in approval, loving the idea of Rogue singing the back up vocals. It went perfectly along with the way they were singing it.

“The shell of a man who could never be his best!”

“Be his best!”

“If I didn’t have you I’d never see the sun!”

“See the sun!”

“You taught me how to be someone, yeeaaahh!~” they finished in unison.

“All my life, you stood by me! When no one else was ever behind me! All these lights, they can’t blind me! With your love, nobody can drag me down!”

Sting and Rogue spent the next few minutes singing the rest of the song in perfect harmony. Sting even managed to convince Rogue to dance with him, even if his steps were just small, barely noticeable movements. 

“Nobody can drag me down,” they finished together, falling on their backs onto the soft grass. Their clothes had dried up by now due to the intense, but bearable, heat from the sun.

“Wow, I can’t believe we actually did that,” Sting exhaled, placing a hand on his forehead. “I never imagined I’d do this, even if it was way out here.”

“Me neither..” Rogue agreed. His eyes averted over to Sting’s, and they both shared a smile.

“It was pretty awesome. I totally wouldn’t mind doing that with you again.”

Rogue nodded, soon finding his hand being taken by Sting’s.

“Well I bet it’s around lunchtime, we should go eat,” Sting suggested, standing up. He pulled Rogue up with him, and the two walked back to their original set-up area. 

Sting shuffled through the contents of his bag as he tried to find the basket with the food he packed. “Okay I swear it’s in here somewhere, and don’t worry I bought food from outside so it’s not my crappy cooking.”

“Your cooking isn’t that bad you know,” Rogue said. “I-I could always teach you when we get home.”

“That would be awesome!” Sting exclaimed. “But I’d rather just leave that to you. I like it when you cook.”

“O-oh...” Rogue tried to hide his smile. 

“Where the hell are those damn sandwiches?!” Sting had no luck finding them in the first bag. “Maybe they’re in here...” he muttered to himself as he checked the other bags.

Meanwhile, Rogue pulled out a blanket and set it out perfectly under a large, shady tree. It was the perfect spot for a picnic. There was just the right amount of sunlight and shade and the temperature was fair.

“Oh thank God, I found them,” Sting called from a few feet away. He walked over to Rogue who was sitting nicely on the blanket. Sting sat right beside him, only leaving a few inches of space in between. He set down the basket and pulled out four sandwiches, a large bag of chips, and some chocolate. Rogue’s eyes lit up at the sight of the chocolate, but he knew to save the best for last.

Sting also brought along bottles of soda and water in a cooler. He pulled out a fresh new bottle of Mountain Dew and the liquid sizzled as he removed the cap and poured himself a glass. “Dig in!” 

Rogue was only able to take three bites of his sandwich before Sting finished his in only a couple of seconds. He chugged down three glasses of soda and quickly unwrapped the next sandwich, but stopped when he caught Rogue looking at him. 

“Whaf?” Sting asked with his mouth full. “Is somefhing wronph?

“How do you eat so quickly?” Rogue asked, slowly chewing on his share. He stuffed the last bit into his mouth and wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

“How do you eat so slowly?” Sting countered.

Rogue paused to think for a minute before answering. “Touché.”

Sting laughed, and within a few minutes his second sandwich was finished as well. 

“Hurry up, Rogue! I wanna go on a walk with you,” Sting whined as he lay his head on Rogue’s lap. 

Rogue nearly choked on his sandwich. “S-Sting...what are you doing...?”

“I’m tired,” Sting answered, closing his eyes. “Wake me up when you’re done eating.” And with that said, he was out in a matter of seconds.

Rogue’s legs began shaking a little as his uneasiness took over. He wasn’t really comfortable as of right now, but he kept reminding himself that it was only Sting. And no matter what Sting did, it would always be okay with Rogue. He took a deep breath and finished the remainder of his sandwich, and then drank three glasses of water. Sting started keeping a record of how much water Rogue drank because water was actually very helpful in many ways. Rogue was glad he had someone who cared so much for him. He didn’t think he could be any more thankful.

“Sting,” Rogue whispered, shaking the napping blonde awake. “I-I’m done eating.”

“Mm, five more minutes...” Sting mumbled sleepily, gently pushing Rogue’s hand away and rolling onto his side. He took hold of Rogue’s waist and nuzzled into his stomach.

Blood rushed to Rogue’s cheeks. He looked down at Sting, admiring his adorable sleeping face decorated by sun rays. He had such a temptation to stroke his hair, but was unsure of whether or not he should. He mentally fought with himself trying to decide, but then remembered what Sting said earlier. He said he liked it when Rogue touched his hair, so it was okay, right? Rogue hoped so.

Rogue took a deep breath and moved his trembling hand to Sting’s hair. He started in the middle and began stroking his hair downwards. He checked Sting’s expression to make sure he was okay with it, and the dorky smile plastered onto Sting’s face confirmed his doubts. Rogue even mustered up the courage to plant a quick kiss on his nose. Sting’s smile never left his face.

For the next five minutes, Rogue continued stroking the blonde nest of hair resting on his lap. It was calm and relaxing; the birds sang on the trees above them and the sky was a watercolor of blue hues adding to the soothing atmosphere.

More than the promised five minutes had passed, but Sting eventually woke up. He stretched out his arms, nearly punching Rogue in the face.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Rogue teased, pushing Sting’s arm down. 

Sting rubbed his eyes before opening them. “Man, you need to do that more often because that felt freakin’ amazing.”

“D-do what?” Rogue asked, his eyes widening.

“Stroke my hair and give me kisses you think I don’t notice while I sleep~”

“I-I did no such thing.” Rogue turned his head away, hiding under his bangs.

“Mhm, of course you didn’t.”

“M-maybe you were dreaming.”

“Oh yeah? Then why does my nose and head feel all tingly and warm?”

“H-H-How would I know?”

“You’re such a terrible liar. C’mere.” Sting pulled Rogue towards him and hugged him tightly. “Ready to go on our walk now?”

Rogue nodded, his cheeks on fire. The two of them stood up and checked the map for a nearby trail and finally decided on one that wasn’t too long or too short. 

They walked down the trail, hand in hand, admiring all the wonderful elements of nature. The trees were very green and full of life. Although there was a rarity of animals, a few birds did appear here and there. 

A couple of kilometers down, there was a giant tree that had fallen and blocked the path. Sting got excited for some reason unknown to Rogue. 

“Obstacles are the best fucking part about these trails.” Sting readied his stance and got his magic energy ready to go. “White dragon...roar!”

A roar attack in the form of a laser beam shot right through the tree, splitting it perfectly in half. Rogue’s eyes widened, clearly impressed with Sting’s powerful move.

“Woah...” was all Rogue could manage to say.

“How was that?” Sting asked, flashing Rogue a toothy grin.

“A-Amazing!”

“Good, because I live to please you.” Sting grabbed Rogue’s hand once more and led him past the split tree. 

“Wait, I want to check something.” Rogue stopped and walked back over to the tree, crouching down to look at the number of rings inside of the trunk. 

“What’s up?” Sting asked, kneeling down beside him. He followed Rogue’s gaze, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

“This tree was pretty old, but it looks like it could’ve lived longer,” Rogue said, almost as if in a trance. “These trees are pretty rare. I’ve only ever seen them once in my life. Their leaves are used to create medicine, and they’re so powerful that they can cure almost any wound.”

“How can you tell how old it is?” Sting asked. He felt himself falling deeper for Rogue, duly impressed and intrigued by his profound knowledge.

“You count the number of rings,” Rogue answered with a smile. “It’s hard to tell sometimes, but you get the hang of it.”

“And how were you able to tell which type of tree it was?” Sting rested his head on his palm, glancing at Rogue with complete infatuation. Making him talk about things he loved or knew a lot about was just really nice to see and listen to.

“I spent a lot of time traveling here alone, so I got to know all types of trees and plants and animals...” Rogue went on. “But it’s sad, you know? To see so many cut down or killed just so they can be used and sold.”

“Yeah...” Sting trailed off, so lost in Rogue’s words and eyes that he felt like he was under a spell.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, we can go now.” Rogue stood up and Sting followed suit, walking with him to the next marked area on the trail. 

“Tell me more,” Sting asked, turning to Rogue.

“More about w-what?” 

“Anything, honestly.” He wrapped his arms around Rogue’s neck and squeezed him. Rogue was frozen in place from his sudden action. “Sorry, I just love you so much.” He let go of Rogue and ran over towards a thin, green plant and pulled off a leaf. He returned to where Rogue was standing, a confused expression plastered on his pale face.

“Uh...” Rogue began.

“Tell me what this is,” Sting demanded, shoving the leaf in Rogue’s face. It was long and red, but the color was dull compared the beauty of the Shadow Dragon Slayer’s eyes.

“I-It’s a leaf from the Crimson Queen Japanese Maple,” Rogue analyzed, observing each side of the leaf. “Pretty common in this area.”

“You are so..so..what’s the word..” Sting mumbled, thinking. “A smart cookie! A walking encyclopedia! I won’t ever be afraid when you’re around because I know you can keep me safe and out of trouble.”

“I...I’m not that talented...or amazing...as you say I am...” 

“What was that?”

“I said I-”

“No, don’t say it,” Sting interrupted. “You sit upon a throne of lies.”

Rogue remained silent, looking at Sting with sad eyes. Sting immediately felt guilty but he didn’t know why Rogue was upset.

“S-Sorry! Didn’t mean to say it like that! What I’m saying is that you’re better than what you believe to be, and trust me, I know. Look at me, I hated everyone and thought they were a bunch of show-offs but you’re exceptional! You have impressive skills and you are amazing...!”

That made Rogue feel a little better, but it would take him some time to fully accept the supposed truth. “Thank you...I appreciate it. We should start walking again.”

“Right,” Sting agreed, dropping the leaf. It swayed back and forth in the air before landing on the ground. 

They walked a little further, and midway they stopped again when they saw horses. Real, live horses. 

“No way, they have horseback riding?!” Sting exclaimed, jumping in joy. “Rogue, we have to go!”

“But our motion si-” Rogue started before he was dragged away by Sting.

Sting ran up to a man dressed like a farmer, and tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me sir?”

“Ah, hello there,” the farmer greeted. “Here to ride a horse the rest of the trail?”

Sting nodded enthusiastically, already having his eyes on a beautiful brown horse. 

“Well alrighty ‘mate. For you and the young man back there, yes?”

Sting nodded again.

“’Yer gonna enjoy this I assure ya. Name’s Bill by the way. Bring yer friend o’er to the horse o’er there,” the farmer stated, referring to the one Sting was looking a few seconds ago. 

Sting walked over to Rogue and pulled him over to the horse. Rogue was hesitant to go, but he didn’t really have a choice.

Bill held the reins and the horse whinnied in response. “This here’s Bella. She’s a very kind one, yer gonna love ‘er.”

“Hi Bella!” Sting greeted, softly touching her mane. Bella let out a puff of breath and nuzzled into Sting’s hand. “H-Hey! I think she likes me!”

“She’s got a big ol’ heart. Ready to get on?” 

“I was born ready!”

Bill helped both Sting and Rogue onto the horse, holding her in place while they climbed the mounting block. They approached Bella from the left side and started by placing their left foot on the left stirrup and swinging their right foot over, adjusting it in place on the right stirrup. The farmer handed them helmets for safety and handed Sting the reins, who was sitting up front. 

“Alright, listen up because this here’s important,” Bill announced. “Remember, always keep a steady balance. Sit up straight-”

“But I’m not straight,” Sting interrupted. Rogue face palmed from behind him.

“Sit upright,” the farmer corrected, rolling his eyes and realizing that Rogue was his boyfriend. “And turn yer feet inwards towards the horse, almost as if you’re hugging it with yer legs. That’ll help ya not fall off. Make sure yer toes are always pointed up and be sure not to squeeze the horse too tight, even if ya get scared.” He looked over to Rogue, who had left a few inches of space between him and Sting. “And you behind the blondie, hold onto ‘im so ye don’t fall off.”

Rogue blushed and slowly moved closer, snaking his arms around Sting’s waist. Memories of the motorcycle ride from their first date replayed in his mind. Sting smiled from in front of him as pink tinted his cheeks. 

“That should be it fer now,” Bill said. “Y’all set. I’ll lead ye to the trail, try ta keep yer balance before I let ya go.”

Sting nodded, gripping the reins tightly in his hands. Bella began walking, and Sting immediately felt like he was going to fall off. He almost would have if Rogue wasn’t there clutching onto him for dear life. 

“Remember, sit up str- excuse me, upright,” Bill corrected himself. “Shoulders and back should be aligned with Bella’s head and ears. Put most of yer weight on yer bottom, loosen up the top.”

Sting followed along, positioning himself properly and taking a deep breath. He held the reins firmly and nodded to Bill, who gave him a thumbs up. “Enjoy the ride. Someone should be at the end and they’ll help ya down once you’ve made it. Have fun.”

“Thank you for all your help,” Sting said with a grin. Bill nodded at them before heading back.

Sting inhaled and exhaled, releasing a puff of breath. “Ready, Rogue?”

“Not sure,” Rogue answered nervously. “A-Am I holding on too tight?”

“Nah, you’re fine,” Sting assured. “Hold on tighter if you want~” Sting used his foot and lightly tapped Bella’s side, alerting her to move forward. As she began walking again, Sting feared he would fall off again. Riding horses wasn’t as easy as it seemed; you had to get adjusted the horse’s movements and go with the flow of all the turns, rises, and downfalls.

Sting felt Rogue’s grip tighten, and he knew he had to do better so the two of them would feel at ease and not be scared out of their minds the whole time. They came here to have fun, not cower in fear.

Sting tried to remember what Bill had told them. He readjusted his position, looking forward and keeping his eyes fixated on the trail. After a couple of minutes, he started to get the hang of it. Rogue’s grip relaxed, and Sting felt relieved. He let out a pleased sigh and turned to look at Rogue. “I’m doing pretty good now, aren’t I?”

“Sting, forward!” Rogue warned. “K-keep your eyes forward...!”

Bella felt the sudden shift on her and started shaking her head. She stopped in place, her back legs impatiently tapping the ground.

“S-Shit-!” Sting shrieked, quickly turning back around. “R-Rogue! What do I do?! She looks like she’s gonna kick us off!!”

“Calm down,” Rogue whispered in a soothing voice. He was afraid as well, but it wasn’t going to help if he was scared. He had to stay calm in order for Sting to calm down as well. Sting’s nerves relaxed at the sound of his voice, but he was still trembling in fear. Rogue reached over Sting to touch Bella’s head, stroking her mane softly. “There, there, Bella, don’t be afraid.”

Sting watched Rogue from over his shoulder, his mouth slightly open and eyes twinkling.

Bella calmed down right away and moved her head upwards. Rogue continued stroking her until she was ready to move again. “Now try, Sting.”

Sting nodded, tapping his foot lightly against Bella’s side. Bella began walking, and Sting made sure to be extra careful this time. The rest of the ride went smoothly. Well that is, until a ladybug landed on Sting’s shoulder.

“ROOOGGGUEEE! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT FUCKING OFF OF ME!” Sting screamed. He wanted to swat the poor little bug away but if he let go of the reins, he was sure to lose control of Bella.

Rogue was half-asleep on Sting’s shoulder, the one without the ladybug on it, and his scream made him jerk awake. “W-What’s wrong?!” 

“GET...THAT...THING...OFF..MY...SHOULDER...!” Sting stared cross-eyed at the ladybug, alerting Rogue to look at it.

“The ladybug?” Rogue asked. “No way, how are you afraid of bugs?”

“Shut up and help me!” Sting squealed.

Bella was surprisingly calm the entire time. She must’ve gotten used to Sting’s craziness by now, so she simply neighed in response while shaking her head.

“O-okay!” Rogue quickly cupped the ladybug in his hand and released it into the air. “There, all gone.”

“I STILL FEEL IT!”

“It’s not there...”

“HELP ME!”

“I-I did!”

Bella lifted her front legs a bit in an attempt to get Sting to calm down. 

“O-Oh..sorry Bella,” Sting apologized. “Rogue, protect me! My knight in shining armor!”

“W-will do...” Rogue responded, blushing.

Rogue did not need to do any protecting because no more bugs dared to land on Sting’s shoulder.

An hour had passed, and they had finally reached the end of the trail. The journey was pretty memorable with Sting asking Rogue to identify almost every plant they witnessed and Bella just snorting every so often, realizing herself how much Sting was in love with Rogue. 

A man greeted them at the end of the trail, waving as Sting led Bella over to him. He introduced himself as Jet, and another plump man appeared beside him. He introduced himself as Droy, and the two helped the Twin Dragons off of Bella.

“So, how was the ride?” Jet asked with a smile.

“Pretty awesome,” Sting responded. “I’d definitely wanna do it again sometime.”

“Always good to hear,” Jet replied. “Bella here’s a sweet one. You’re lucky you two got to spend time with her.”

“Thanks, Bella!” Sting stroked her chin, and she nuzzled into his arm again. Sting turned around to face Rogue who was just standing quietly off to the side, not getting involved in the conversation. “Come here, Rogue! Let’s say bye to Bella.”

Rogue walked up to him shyly and stood only a few inches apart from where he was standing. Sting smiled as Rogue approached him, already excited for whatever they were going to do next. He was having a blast so far, and he couldn’t wait for what was yet to come.

Before Rogue could have his chance to pet the horse a goodbye, Bella nudged Sting right into Rogue, causing Sting to fall into Rogue’s arms. The two of them stared at the ground, their faces full-on red, but didn’t dare make another move.

“You know it’s true love when even a horse ships them,” Droy called as he chewed on a leg of meat. 

“True that, my friend,” Jet chuckled. 

Sting and Rogue’s blushes deepened, causing Jet and Droy to laugh and Bella to whinny. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you two,” Jet said after a few minutes of awkward silence. “Hope to see you around!”

“You’re always welcome here,” Droy added. “Horseback riding is always fun for dates.”

“W-We’ll be on our way now...” Sting choked out as he grabbed Rogue’s hand and sprinted away.

Jet and Droy waved to them before returning to the small cottage they lived in.

“That was a close one,” Sting huffed as they made it stopped in an open field. 

“Y-Yeah...” Rogue agreed. “Where are we, by the way?”

“Some place that’s just a few minutes away from our campsite. I thought maybe we could rest up a bit before heading back.”

“Sounds good.”

The two of them collapsed on the grass, taking a deep breath. Sting snuck a glance at Rogue and stared at his hair, which was still decorated with the flower he had given him earlier. 

“Rogue?”

“Yes, my little bee?”

Sting’s face turned red. “W-What’d you call me?”

“Sweet revenge,” Rogue smirked. 

Sting nearly fainted. Rogue giving him a cute nickname and being dominant again...it was a dream come true. “Rogue you never cease to amaze me. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that because, damn.”

“Because I’m fucking amazing,” Rogue said back, his smirk growing.

“Oh...my....god....” Sting placed his hand on his heart and stared up into the sky. “Someone pinch me, this has got to be a dream. My little shadow is picking up on my habits yet again and being all smug and it’s making my heart melttttt.”

Rogue blushed, not sure where his sudden burst of confidence came from. But that didn’t stop him from continuing. “What if I told you this is reality?” 

“Rogue, my face is literally burning right now. Feel it.” Sting took Rogue’s hand and placed it on his cheek. Sure enough, it was like touching a warm fire. Sting nuzzled into Rogue’s hand while it was placed on his cheek. 

“Then am I pleasing you, my little bee?” Rogue asked, blushing and smiling all at once.

“Definitely...”

“Good, because I live to please you,” Rogue said, quoting what Sting said earlier.

“Shit, I love you so much Rogue oh my fucking god,” Sting breathed. He tackle hugged Rogue and snuggled up against him. 

“L-love you too...” Rogue whispered, placing one hand on the back of Sting’s head and the other around his waist.

“I’ve been waiting to hear you say that again.” Sting kissed a small spot on Rogue’s neck, causing Rogue to shiver in pleasure. “I just got another idea.”

“All your ideas have been perfect so far.”

Sting smiled, twisting locks of Rogue’s dark hair around his finger. “Want to make flower crowns?”

“Th-that sounds like a great idea!”

Sting kissed Rogue’s forehead before standing up. “Better find some flowers.”

Rogue followed Sting to a nearby garden where all sorts of flowers decorated the vast land. He picked out red, black, white, and pink flowers for his crown while Sting chose white, black, blue, and yellow ones. After collecting a decent amount of them, along with some leaves, they sat down together in front of a butterfly bush and got to work.

Alternating each color, the two of them strung together all the flowers using tree fibers, branches, and sap. The end product turned out really nice, and Sting and Rogue exchanged a glance of admiration. As soon as they had finished making them, it started to get dark.

“We should head back,” Sting suggested, standing up. Rogue nodded and stood up the same time he did. “But before that...” Sting took Rogue’s flower crown out of his hands and handed him his own. “Let’s put these on each other as an oath to our love.”

“Sting...” Rogue began. “You’re too much.”

“But I remember you saying you couldn’t get enough of me,” Sting reminded him, raising his eyebrow in an amusing manner.

“Y-You actually remembered that?” Rogue exclaimed, surprised.

Sting nodded. “Uh-huh. How could I forget? I never forget anything really important or special.”

Rogue simply smiled and placed Sting’s crown on his head as Sting did the same to him. They held hands right after and walked back to their campsite before the sun went down.

“We should make a fire before the sun goes down. We can then sit by the fire as we watch the sunset...how does that sound to you?”

“I’ve loved all of your ideas today so there’s no way I can refuse this one,” Rogue answered with a smile. 

“I just got another awesome idea,” Sting said, smiling.

“I wish I could come up with amazing ideas that quickly!”

“Okay, so, what if we both use our roar attacks to get firewood easier?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“On the count of three. I’m counting backwards, actually, so I guess the count of one?”

Rogue nodded and positioned himself beside Sting, aiming right at the tree that had a lot of branches. 

“Three...two...one...!”

“Shadow Dragon Roar!”

“White Dragon Roar!”

The two attacks combined into a perfect mixture of darkness and light and hit their target spot on, causing a whole pile of thick branches to break off of the tree and fall onto the ground. They gathered up them up and threw them in a pile in the center. 

“We make a pretty awesome team,” Sting added. 

“Our magic goes really well together,” Rogue agreed. “So, what’s next?”

“Okay, now the hard part. Making the actual fire...” Sting sighed and placed his hands on his hips, staring down at the pile of wood.

“I guess we’re going to have to do it the old-school way,” Rogue said, picking up two stones. He started rubbing them together, trying to create a spark.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sting asked, staring dumbfoundedly at Rogue. 

“Th-this is how fire was made before fire magic users came to be...” 

“How the fuck is rubbing two damn rocks together gonna make a fire?”

“W-well it will create friction from the pressure and then it will start sparking! I-if those sparks hit the wood, we’ll have a fire!” 

“Must be some satanic ritual.”

“It’s not. It’s just a clever way to make fire!”

“Too much work if you ask me.”

“Come on, Sting! It’s pretty cool!”

“Fine. I’ll try only because you asked.” 

Sting picked up two stones and furiously rubbed them together, doing as Rogue said. However, Rogue was the only one able to make a spark.

“THIS IS STUPID AS FUCK!” Sting screamed in frustration, throwing the stones against the tree. “I WISH NATSU-SAN WAS HERE TO LIGHT THIS!”

“Almost...there...” Rogue mumbled, sweating nervously. He sped up his hands a little more, and there it was! Sparks flew off of his stones and landed on the firewood, igniting a huge flame.

“H-H-How the hell....?!” Sting stared in shock, his jaw dropping. “No way!”

“Yes way,” Rogue remarked, setting the stones down. His hands were red from all the scraping. “Guess it still works.”

“Are you okay, Rogue?” Sting asked, taking notice of his bruised hands. “Agh, why didn’t I stop you from doing that?!” He grabbed Rogue’s hands and rubbed them softly, causing Rogue to wince.

“Th-that hurts...” Rogue said in a barely audible voice.

“Shit, sorry!” Sting quickly ran over to the cooler and pulled out a bottle of water and some ice. He brought them over to Rogue and rubbed his hands with the ice and then poured a little water on them. “I-Is that helping?”

“A-a little bit...” 

“Tell me if it hurts. I’ll stop.”

“Okay..”

Sting finished applying ice to Rogue’s hands and then softly kissed his bruises, making Rogue blush. “Try not to use them a lot...I’ll take care of everything.”

“It’s not that bad...I’m used to pain, you know?”

Sting cringed at those words. “I don’t want my little shadow to be in pain. Whether he is used to it or not...” He started tearing up a bit, remembering all the cuts showcased underneath Rogue’s sweatshirt.

“I-I’m okay...! Sorry! Please don’t cry!” Rogue panicked, unsure of what to do or say next.

“It’s not fair...why is it always you that has to be in pain?! Why can’t it be me for once?” Sting remained silent after that. He sat there staring at Rogue’s hands, and then pulled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt to Rogue’s surprise. The shadow mage’s pale arm displayed a variety of cuts, and Sting bit his lip. His tears threatened to spill as he tried to hold them back.

“Those are from the past!” Rogue tried to explain, but it was too late. Sting was sobbing quietly, not making any sound but the tears were spilling like waterfalls down his cheeks.

“N-No! Don’t cry! If you cry...I’ll cry too...” Rogue whimpered. Seeing Sting sad made his heart sink, and it was unbearable to watch. He began to tear up as well, his lip quivering from trying not to break down.

Sting hugged Rogue tightly and cried into his shoulder. “I know you said it before...but just in case say it again...promise me you’ll stop hurting yourself..p-please...I know it’s hard but I’m here for you...”

“I promise,” Rogue cried, a few tears escaping his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and rubbed Sting’s back, comforting him and assuring him.

“Good,” Sting sniffled, wiping his eyes. “I trust you to keep that promise.”

He let go of Rogue and walked over to the pile of bags, pulling out a box of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. He placed them beside the fire and arranged them all so it they would be ready to go. “I think these will help lighten the mood again...”

“Chocolate...” Rogue’s eyes sparkled. Sting laughed, and Rogue joined in with his laughter. Rogue sat down next to Sting by the fire and they roasted the marshmallows until the bottoms turned golden-brown. They each took a graham cracker, broke it in half, added the chocolate and then the marshmallow, completing the dessert. 

“S’mores are the best part about camping,” Sting said, drooling a bit as he stared at the treat in front of him. 

Rogue smiled, loving the scent of chocolate emitting from them. He was relieved that the situation turned tables quickly, because seeing Sting sad was not something he thought he was able to deal with. S’mores were a life saver.

“Hey, Rogue?” Sting turned to look at Rogue after taking a bite of his s’more.

“Hm?”

“Are you a campfire?”

“What?”

“Cuz you’re hot and I want s’more.”

“STING... YOU DIDN’T!” Rogue shrieked, blood rushing quickly to his face.

“I JUST DID.”

“Sting.”

“What?”

“Do you have eleven protons?”

“The hell is a proton?”

Rogue face palmed. “Chemistry...”

“Why are you talking about chemistry now?” Sting stuffed the rest of the s’more in his mouth as Rogue ate his at his regular slow pace.

“I was trying to tell you a joke.”

“Why does it involve chemistry?!”

“Because...never mind.” Rogue sighed.

“No tell me! Do I have 11 protons..uh I dunno, why?”

“Because you’re sodium fine.” Rogue whispered, blushing. 

“WOAAH, I DON’T GET IT BUT DAMN!” Sting whistled, falling onto his back dramatically. “Did you just say I was so damn fine?”

“M-maybe...” 

“Explain the joke to me,” Sting chuckled, grabbing Rogue’s shoulders and pulling him down as well. They both lay side by side on the grass by the fire, looking up into the sky. 

“W-well...the element Sodium has eleven protons...and sodium sounds like ‘so damn’ so yeah..”

“Rogue, your attempt at flirting is...really...cute..” Sting blushed. “I love it...it’s special. You fucking nerd, you’re so adorable...”

“Am not!”

“Well, your ‘so damn fine’ boyfriend says so,” Sting smirked.

Rogue wasn’t losing this one. “Sometimes he can be wrong.”

“BUT THE GREAT STING EUCLIFFE IS NEVER WRONG!” Sting announced. 

“But the dorky version of him is sometimes,” Rogue said, using Sting’s chest as a pillow. 

Sting wrapped his arms around Rogue and kissed the top of his head. “Alright you win this one...but next time it won’t be so easy! I don’t even remember what you won for, but oh well. I’m still gonna win next time!”

“That depends on the situation,” Rogue said, playing with Sting’s fingers with his own. 

“Oh, I’ll sure as hell win. I’m not letting my little shadow beat me.”

“Well I’m not letting my little bee beat me.”

“It’s on!”

“Get prepared to lose!”

They broke out into laughter, talking about how stupid they sounded and how they argued over the weirdest things. 

“You know, Rogue, I would want to set up our tent but I’d rather sleep outside and watch the stars. That okay with you?” 

“Yeah...I like being outside too,” Rogue agreed. “Hey, I got an idea.”

“Nice! Let’s hear it,” Sting offered.

“We can’t really call this a camping trip without scary stories...”

“Oh no...” Sting mumbled to himself. He then turned to face Rogue and smiled nervously. “Uh yeah! But...I don’t know any so heh heh...”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got plenty.”

“Shit.”

“Are you afraid, Sting?”

“N-no..”

“Who’s lying now?” Rogue asked with a smug grin. “Really Sting...if you’re scared then I won’t tell you the stories.”

“I-I’m not! Besides, I have you here and that’s all that matters.”

“Well alright...you asked for it..”

Sting swallowed nervously, burying his face in Rogue’s hair. 

“One day, little Suzie went to the toy store. She saw a clock that peaked her interest, so she picked it off the shelf and went to the cashier. It was flashing ten o’clock in red lights. The cashier warned her that this clock wasn’t normal, but Suzie was stubborn and didn’t listen. She took it home with her.”

“Hm, this doesn’t seem too bad. I mean, what can a clock do?” Sting laughed nervously.

“Suzie went and placed it downstairs before heading up to bed. After she got comfortable, she heard sounds. Really strange sounds.”

“SHIT SHIT SHIT!”

“Then she heard something coming up the stairs. And then a voice. ‘Suzie..I killed your family...Suzie...I’m coming up the stairs...Suzie...I’m outside your door...’ Suzie sat up and looked at her door, but there was nothing there. Then she heard the voice again. ‘Suzie...I’m in your bedroom.’ Suzie looked down and the clock was right there on the nightstand.” Rogue slowly crept up on Sting and jumpscared him a few times. He spoke in a scarier voice, adding to the frightful mood.

“STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!” 

“Suzie..you’re dead! That was the last thing Suzie heard before the clock jumped on her and she was murdered.”

“DEMON CLOCK ALERT! CALL THE FUCKING COPS OR MECHANICS!”

“A few days passed, and the police arrived at the scene, finding nothing but rubble. But then they found the clock buried beneath all the burnt and broken wood. And guess what? It was now flashing the number eleven.” Rogue smirked. This was one of his favorite stories.

“ROGUE WHAT THE FUCK THAT WAS SCARY AS HELL WHY DIDN’T YOU WARN ME?!” Sting shrieked, trembling. “oH GOD REMIND ME TO THROW AWAY ALL THE CLOCKS WHEN WE GET HOME!”

“It wasn’t that bad..and I did warn you,” Rogue said. “A-Are you going to be okay?”

“FUCK NO I’M SCARED AS SHIT RIGHT NOW!” Sting cried, holding onto Rogue. “I think I might cry again...”

“I-I’m sorry! B-But I warned you...!” 

“I didn’t know it would be that scary!”

“It wasn’t!”

“Maybe not for you but it was for me!”

“It’s okay, Sting. I’m here...” 

“Hug me, Rogue!!!”

Rogue lifted his head off of Sting’s chest and moved upward, grasping Sting in a hug. Sting buried his head in Rogue’s chest and continued to shake in fear. 

“Want to hear another one?” Rogue teased.

“IF I EVER HEAR ANOTHER SCARY STORY FROM YOU AGAIN IT’LL BE TOO SOON!” 

“I’m kidding, hehe. Hey, look at the stars!” Rogue pointed up to the sky, trying to change the subject.

Sting looked up and gazed at the constellations. The bright lights coming off of the stars shone in the dark sky, giving off an iridescent glow. “They look pretty nice...” Sting lay his head between Rogue’s shoulder blade and neck, nuzzling into him like a puppy. “You know, Rogue, I really had fun today. I’d say this adds to my ongoing list of best days ever. You made my life so much better, you know?”

Rogue smiled, listening to Sting carefully. Rogue read somewhere that people tend to be completely honest around late hours at night and tend to ramble on. “And you’ve made mine better.”

“You know how I was before. I was such a jerk. And I hurt you...”

“The past is in the past, Sting. If it weren’t for that, we may have never become friends, and even something more...”

“I know...but that doesn’t make me feel any better about the fact that I treated you like that...”

“You saved me from being killed by Jiemma. You’ve been taking care of me. You’ve done so much, you’re clearly forgiven.”

“Jiemma...that bastard...when we get back to school I’m gonna teach him a fucking lesson.”

“If we ever get back...”

“Don’t worry, we will. And speaking of school...” Sting blushed, twiddling his thumbs nervously. “Every year...we have a...I guess..dance sort of thing...it happens in around March...and I was wondering if...” Sting bit his lip and then sighed. He cleared his throat before continuing. “I was wondering if..you’d be my date for the event?”

“I-I’d love to...b-but...” Rogue began, looking down. “I...”

“Social anxiety...right..not good with huge crowds?”

Rogue nodded, feeling guilty. 

“Don’t worry about it! We can just go somewhere alone!” Sting suggested.

“O-Okay...but I’d feel bad if I was keeping you from going...”

“I don’t even give a shit about that thing. I just want to be with you.” Sting smiled, hugging Rogue and closing eyes. They had a long day, so they were very tired. Their eyelids felt heavy as they fought to close shut.

“I l-love you, Sting,” Rogue whispered before closing his eyes.

“And I love you too, Rogue,” Sting whispered back. 

Rogue was drifting off to sleep, but before he could, he heard a voice he thought he’d never hear again.

_“Rogue.”_

“What the hell are you doing back here?!” Rogue whispered in panic. His eyes shot open, and his heart was beating fast in his chest, afraid of what was going to happen.

_“I was able to reform my spirit, although it’s not enough to take over you just yet. I have yet to regain my physical form.”_

“W-what do you want now?”

_“Rogue, you have fallen in love too quickly.”_

Rogue remained silent, unsure of what he meant.

_“That boy, Sting, he doesn’t love you.”_

“He does!”

_“How could anybody love someone like you?”_

“I don’t know...but I know Sting does!”

_“He’s going to leave you one day. Just like everyone else.”_

“H-he won’t! He promised!”

_“Promises are meant to be broken.”_

Rogue bit his lip. “Go away! I want nothing to do with you!”

_“That isn’t your choice, little one. I’m going to make you suffer.”_

“P-Please don’t...I-I just want to be happy with Sting! Why can’t you understand that?!”

_“I don’t care about what you want. You belong in the darkness. You are a shadow, and you are not to be this close to the light.”_

“S-Shadows can’t exist without light!”

_“That’s just a lie. We’re fine on our own, we don’t need the light.”_

“What are you planning? You can’t do anything to me- you’re just a spirit!”

_“There’s a lot I can do. I will show you.”_

“N-no! Don’t! Please, I’m begging you! Not now! Not here!” Rogue’s head began throbbing in pain, and he let out a scream, clutching the sides of his head in agony. 

Sting woke up immediately, startled. “R-Rogue! What the hell? What’s wrong?!”

_“Not this time, little brat.” The shadow plagued Rogue’s mind, turning his eyes completely dark and lifeless before Sting could even touch him._

Rogue continued screaming, his hands trembling as he began sweating nervously. “LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, STUPID SHADOW!”

“S-Shadow? Rogue, what’s going on?!” Sting shrieked, worried. Rogue looked so scared and in so much pain, and Sting just sat there wide-eyed and afraid, unsure of what to do.

Rogue tried to respond, but he collapsed back onto the ground before he could do so. His vision blacked out, and his breathing slowed down and nearly came to a stop. 

“ROGUE! ROGUE! WAKE UP! WHAT THE FUCK EVEN HAPPENED?! ROOOGGUEEE!!” Sting cried, shaking Rogue’s unmoving body. “PLEASE! I NEED YOU ROGUE! I-I DON’T BELIEVE THIS! HEY! WAKE UP! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!”

Rogue’s eyes shut tightly, losing all sight of the world. His eyes did not open again after that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BETCHA DIDN'T EXPECT THAT ANGST AT THE END MWAHAHAHA


	12. Memory is the Diary That We All Carry With Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue wakes up in a school setting, having no idea how he got there. He's unsure of what day it is, where he is, or even who the people around him are. His memory is returning one piece at a time, but not enough to complete the whole puzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I've been pretty busy, but here's the next chapter! I appreciate your patience!

“Cheney. Cheney! Rogue Cheney, are you listening to me?!”

Rogue’s eyes fluttered open, his vision somewhat a blur. It took a couple of seconds for everything to come into focus, and when it did, Rogue was surprised to see a lady standing in front of him with a large meter stick gripped in her hand.

“I know it’s only your second week of school, but if you want to sleep in my class, you better be expecting punishment!” Her voice was very shrill, making Rogue’s ears hurt. He flinched and looked up at her, getting ready to apologize. Before he could do so, however, she bent down and whispered in his ear, “Sweetie, are you okay? Did you not get enough rest last night?”

Rogue shook his head, not even knowing if that was the truth. Honestly, he had no memory of what had happened before this very moment. He didn’t know where he was, what day it was, or even who this woman was. Fragments of his memory were coming back to him, but he couldn’t quite put the pieces together. 

“Do you need to see the nurse?” she asked, looking a bit concerned. Rogue shook his head again. All the other people in the room began whispering amongst themselves, but Rogue just ignored them. The woman placed her hands on her hips and walked back to the front of the room, resuming some lesson about grammar. 

Rogue took the opportunity to look around, hoping that there would be some hints to help him figure things out. One thing he knew for sure that he was at a school, and in a classroom. Most of the students surrounding him looked somewhat familiar. Rogue could’ve sworn he’d seen them before from what his memory was telling him, but he couldn’t make much sense of it. 

A couple of minutes passed, and Rogue was able to clarify a few things. He was at Sabertooth Academy, the school he’d started to attend a week ago. He was in English class, and the woman from earlier was his teacher. For some reason, he got a strange feeling that somebody else was his teacher in the past, but he just shook away the thought, thinking it was absurd. 

Rogue’s eyes then landed on a blonde male who was seated a few rows in front of him. Something about him made Rogue feel...different. He almost felt as if he knew him from somewhere, but that'd have to be impossible. Rogue didn’t have any friends, and there was no way that one of the most popular kids in his class would be someone he was close with. 

His head was pounding now, refueling him of some memories he didn’t really recognize but chose to accept. 

“Alright class, I’ll be assigning a project for this week. It’s due by Friday, so you have today till then, which gives you about four days, to work on it,” the teacher announced. Collective groans chorused around the class. “This is a partner project, and yes, a partner is required to complete this on time. I’d like each one of you to research one of Zeref’s demons. Your choice on which one it is. The paper should be around two to three pages, if not more. That’s just the minimum requirement.”

Everyone’s expression lit up at the announcement of it being a partner project. Everyone’s except Rogue’s, that is. Rogue completely dreaded partner projects. He didn’t like working with others, let alone people he didn’t even know that well. It was even worse when they had to present them. He prayed that they wouldn’t have to, because he didn’t have enough confidence to go up there and talk, plus he surely didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of so many people. 

“You have five minutes left before dismissal. Choose your partners now and pick out the demon you plan on researching to get you started,” the teacher concluded. “Enjoy the rest of the day.”

All of the students stood up and partnered up, leaving Rogue and a group of three boys solo. Rogue clenched his fists, not having enough confidence to go up to anyone and ask them to be his partner. He decided to stay put and hope for the best. 

Rogue’s ears perked up as he heard the blonde boy he laid eyes on earlier loud-whisper to another boy with pink hair. “You can’t be partners with Gray, Natsu! It’s already obvious that you *mumble mumble* so if you partner up with him, it’ll be too obvious!” 

The boy with spiky, pink hair, Natsu as Rogue confirmed, frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Then who the hell am I supposed to be partners with, Sting?!” From his expression, Rogue could tell that Natsu still wanted to be Gray’s partner but he had to contain himself for whatever reason. That name that Natsu mentioned...Sting...why did it sound so familiar? Not in just a way where he recognized it because he was his classmate, but something else entirely...

“I’m gonna be Gray’s partner, so I don’t know man,” Sting sighed, interrupting Rogue’s trail of thoughts. Rogue froze when Sting’s crystal blue eyes landed on him. “Hey, what about Rogue?”

“Rogue? The new, quiet kid? I could give it a try I guess!” Natsu hopped out of his seat and walked over to Rogue, grinning widely. Rogue blinked twice, tensing up as Natsu got closer to him. “Hi, Rogue! Wanna be partners?”

“U-Um..” Rogue stuttered. He didn’t really have a choice, did he? He needed a partner, and it was way easier when someone offered to be his partner rather than him asking for it. “S-sure!”

“Great! I’m Natsu Dragneel, if you don’t know already,” Natsu introduced. He turned back towards Gray and Sting and gave them a thumbs up before turning back to Rogue. “So, got an idea on which demon you want to research?”

“I-I don’t have one in mind, but maybe we could go to the library after class and check?” Rogue suggested, saying the first thing that came to his mind.

“We have a library?” Natsu asked, scratching his head.

“U-Uh..y-yes?” 

From behind them, Gray and Sting groaned. Natsu stuck out his tongue at them, causing them to roll their eyes. He then placed his hands on Rogue’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Okay, we’ll go there after school! Which is in about a minute or so anyway...and hey, we should be friends! You seem pretty cool and smart, and I’d love to get to know you better!”

Friends? Rogue didn’t even think of that, but it made him happy. He did want to have some people as company every now and then. “O-okay.” _Wow,_ Rogue thought. _Natsu sure is friendly._

“Awesome!” Natsu cheered. “See you after class, Rogue!” The Fire Dragon Slayer waved to him and returned to his friends. 

Not long after, the bell rang, dismissing everyone from class. Rogue stuffed his notebook back into his backpack and swung the bag over his right shoulder. He followed everyone else out the door, heading out into the crowded hallway.

Rogue went straight to his locker, switching out his books and only grabbing the necessary materials. He piled in a notebook, the textbook for his homework, and his pencil case. Everything else remained in his locker as he closed it.

After that business was taken care of, the Shadow Dragon Slayer headed to the library. He pushed open the large doors, waved to the librarian, and sat down at his favorite table surrounded by three other plush chairs. He didn’t know when Natsu would get here, but until then, he decided to finish a chapter in his novel. Rogue reached down into his backpack and pulled out the book he was reading, called _The Name of This Book is Secret._ He turned to the bookmarked page, somewhere in chapter ten, and began reading. 

Rogue only managed to get a few pages into the eleventh chapter when he felt someone grab the book from his hands. 

“What’s this?” the book thief asked, flipping through Rogue’s novel. “The name of this book is secret?”

Rogue looked up, and his red eyes immediately met a pair of blue ones. Sting’s eyes.

“Is this book good?” Sting asked, reading the summary on the back. “Cass and Max-Ernest finding something about a supposed dead magician in an abandoned house? The Symphony of Smells?”

“I-It’s a series,” Rogue began, pushing up his reading glasses. “There are five in total, and this is just the first one. It’s a mystery, and yes, it’s really good.”

“Sounds pretty awesome. Maybe when I read this I’ll actually get into reading and not fail English class. Can I borrow this after you’re done?” Sting asked, handing the book back to Rogue.

Rogue took it with a small smile and held it close to him. “S-sure.” He felt a little nervous all of a sudden. Where was Natsu? And why was his friend here instead of him? “Um, may I ask-”

“You’re probably wondering why we’re here, right?” a voice from behind Sting asked. Rogue nodded as he recognized him as Gray, another one of Natsu’s friends. “We’re here to start our project too. You don’t mind if we work with you, right?”

“N-not at all,” Rogue confirmed. “B-But, do you know where Natsu is?”

“Oh, he’s just in the cafeteria getting snacks and drinks for us,” Sting said. “Can’t work on an empty stomach, ya know?”

Rogue didn’t really agree, but he nodded anyway. To be honest, he hadn’t been eating properly for the past few months. He thought he was used to it, but maybe having a good amount of food would make things better. It was worth a try. 

“So, you’re new here, right?” Gray asked, taking a seat beside Rogue. “Where are you originally from? Like, where did you transfer from?”

“Phantom Lord,” Rogue answered, clutching his book tighter. Normally he wasn’t very open with people, but something about Gray and Sting made him want to trust them. “But it was destroyed... by Fairy Tail.”

Sting and Gray exchanged glances. 

“I’ve been transferred here from Fairy Tail, actually,” Gray said, staring at the table. 

“Y-you were?” Rogue questioned, his eyes growing a bit wider. Gray nodded. “Then, you know why you guys...destroyed our school?”

Gray bit his lip. Yes, he did know why. But from what he heard from the attacker, he wasn’t allowed to tell anybody about it. He was sworn to secrecy, so he had to lie. “No. I got transferred before the incident.”

“Oh, I see.” Rogue looked down, refusing to meet either of their eyes. He didn’t like thinking about the past, but sometimes it just plagued his mind, filling it with unwanted memories.

Speaking of memories, he didn’t really believe his own. Something just felt off. Rogue knew he had come to Sabertooth Academy, but other than that, everything seemed out of place or something. Like he belonged somewhere else entirely, but how could that be? Maybe he was just tired. His mind was probably playing tricks on him to increase his stress.

“Yeah, some of us had to transfer, like Natsu and me, but others got to stay behind. I don’t really know why,” Gray continued. “Sorry, I wasn’t much of a help.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s okay,” Rogue assured. 

“Hey, Rogue?” Sting called, finally taking a seat on the other side of Rogue after standing the entire time. “Don’t take this the wrong way but, do you have any friends yet?”

Rogue didn’t feel offended in the slightest. Not having friends wasn’t such a big deal to him. “No.”

“You know, you can hang out with us,” Sting offered. “I just don’t like seeing people alone, even if they want to be alone. We can be your friends, Rogue. Is that okay?”

Rogue looked at Sting, reading the various expressions shown by his deep eyes alone. “Th-That’d be nice. Thank you.”

“Great!” Gray cheered. “Just a warning, I think I’m the only decent one. Sting and Natsu are complete idiots.”

“Hey!” Sting exclaimed. “I’m awesome, okay! And Natsu on the other hand, he’s way more than just an idiot to you, isn’t he?” Sting raised his eyebrow, smirking at Gray. Rogue was confused. He looked over at Gray, noticing that his cheeks were slightly tinted with pink. 

“Not another word, dumbass!” Gray hissed. 

Sting chuckled. “You know I won’t say anything. Plus if anyone found out, it wouldn’t be such a joke anyway.”

Rogue had no idea what they were talking about, but before he could ask, a loud voice echoed throughout the library. 

“ALL RIGHT GUYS I JUST GOT THE BEST FOOD AND BEVERAGES EVER! YOU CAN THANK ME FOR NOT GETTING CRAPPY CAFETERIA FOOD! I’M ALL FIRED UP NOW!”

“Shhhhh!” the librarian shushed, placing a finger over her lips. Her blue hair moved around a bit as she fixed her headband and glasses. “This is a library! Be quiet or get out!” Rogue only noticed then and there how young she was. She was probably only a few years older than him, and it surprised him because he started coming here every day after school and never really realized until now. 

“Jeez, sorry Levy,” Natsu apologized. “You know how I am.”

“That doesn’t give you permission to disturb the other students,” Levy sighed. “Just go do what you need to do.”

For someone who’s never even known there was a library in the school, Natsu and the librarian seemed to know each other. Rogue wondered how that was possible, but then his brain registered the information about how people did have lives outside of school. Levy did look young, after all, so maybe they were friends from somewhere.

“Hey guys,” Natsu greeted as he walked up to Sting, Rogue, and Gray. “Mirajane was nice enough to give me some of the good food today! Perks of being as charismatic as I am.” He grinned widely, placing a variety of food items on the table. 

“Dude, this is awesome!” Sting exclaimed, grabbing a bag of potato chips. “These totally beat what you got for us last week. I think I still taste the stale cardboard-like flavor in my mouth.” 

“Check it, I even got these awesome sodas that actually don’t taste like water with food coloring,” he placed cans of the special soda on the table, and Gray was the first to grab one.

“No way, I loved these! I never knew they even sold ‘em anymore!” Gray pulled it open and began chugging it down like a man who needed water after being stranded on the desert for days.

“Decent, you say?” Sting smirked. “Riiiight.” He turned over to Rogue and smiled at him. “You can take anything you want. Here.” Sting grabbed a can of soda, a chocolate muffin, and a bag of barbecue chips before handing them to Rogue. 

Rogue took them hesitantly, but managed a small smile. “Thank you, Sting.”

“You’re welcome!” Sting then turned to Natsu, who was shoving multiple items into his mouth like a maniac. “Hey, before you choke on that, are you ready to get on-task and start the assignment?”

Gray nearly spit out his soda and Natsu nearly _did_ choke at that statement. “ _You’re_ being responsible?!” They yelled at the same time.

“What’s the big deal? I don’t want to keep Rogue waiting! He’s been waiting patiently and deserves some respect.”

Gray and Natsu looked at each other and shrugged before settling down into their respective seats. After eating a good amount of snacks to refuel their energy, they checked out laptops from the library cart and logged in. 

“Okay, how about we create a shared document? We can edit each other’s papers and get some inspiration,” Gray suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Natsu agreed. “I need your emails so I can create a document on Tiger Docs.”

“Mine is whitebeestinger7 at sabertooth dot com,” Sting said. 

“Coolasice9 at fairytail dot com is mine,” Gray said.

“Alright, and mine is sonofigneel6...” Natsu mumbled as he typed them in. He looked up at Rogue, waiting for his answer. “What’s yours, partner?”

“Shadowdragonrogue7 at sabertooth dot com,” Rogue said. “I wish mine was as cool as yours.”

“We’ll teach you everything there is to know about being cool,” Gray smiled proudly. 

Rogue smiled, feeling very lucky that a group had accepted him so quickly. He was starting to like them more already.

“Alright guys, I sent the shared document,” Natsu announced before shoving some chips into his mouth. “Now let’s go and find a demon to research!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did ya like that plot twist? ;)


	13. A Library is Full Of New Worlds to Travel To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a day at the library. :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are probably confused af right now but I swear everything will make sense later on :D and yes I have updated ;D

“I have no idea which demon to research,” Natsu sighed, his mind as blank as the word document on his laptop. The cursor blinked continuously as if it were mocking him. 

It had only been five minutes, but all four boys were stumped on what to pick for their project. There were many options, but none of them knew where to start.

“I hate research papers,” Sting complained, leaning back on his chair as he placed his hands behind his head. “Why do we need to research something that’s already been discovered? Wouldn’t it be so much cooler if we could make new discoveries?”

“That attitude isn’t going to get us an A,” Gray said, rolling his eyes. “We don’t like it either, but if we want to get a good grade, then we have to suck it up.”

“Ugh, fuck that class. That woman doesn’t even like me,” Sting grumbled, closing his eyes. "I don't give a shit about my grade."

“Well I _do_ care so you better not slack off on me,” Gray warned, flicking Sting’s forehead. Sting simply huffed in response.

“U-Um...why don’t we see if we can find a book that can help start our research?” Rogue suggested, desperately wanting to get this over with. Normally he wouldn’t have spoken up on his own but there was an awkward silence that would’ve been even more uncomfortable to deal with if he hadn't.

“Ha, I got the smart partner!” Natsu cheered, pumping his fist in the air. “Rogue and I will be done with this in no time while you two lag behind. In your faces!”

“Yeah, Natsu, at least _someone_ has to make up for your lack of brain cells,” Gray teased, sticking his tongue out.

“You wanna go, Ice Princess?” Natsu asked, abruptly standing up from his seat.

“Natsu!” Levy, the librarian, yelled. “This is a library! How many times do I have to remind you?”

“Hey, you’re yelling too,” Natsu fired back, frowning.

“Don’t be a smartass with me. I’ll have your whole group kicked out if you keep making so much noise.”

“Fine,” Natsu mumbled, sinking back into his seat. He didn’t want his friends to get in trouble because of him so he had no choice but to listen. He pouted, narrowing his eyes.

Rogue felt slightly bad for some reason, so he hesitantly placed a reassuring hand on Natsu’s shoulder and smiled shyly at him. Natsu turned his head and looked at Rogue, grinning at him in return. Smiles really were contagious.

“Let’s go find that book like you suggested,” Natsu said, standing up. He grabbed Rogue’s wrist and dragged him over to the back where all the non-fiction books were located. He began scanning through the titles, trying to find any book on Zeref’s demons.

“We better look for one as well,” Gray said, standing up after the two had left. “Come on, idiot. Get your lazy ass up. We're not gonna let them beat us, are we?”

Sting groaned and got off the chair, pushing it back into place. He followed Gray to the back where Natsu and Rogue were and leaned against one of the shelves, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Sting never really came to the library for its regular purposes, which were to check out books, do some research, or get extra help. He just used the library as a place to rent a laptop and play online games or hang out with his friends. Now that he actually had to check out a book, he felt out of place, not being used to or interested in it at all. It was all so foreign to him.

Gray and Natsu pulled out one book after the other, trying to find one that would at least give them a lead. Rogue stood on the side awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He didn't know whether he should go check somewhere else or just wait, so he stood there, trying to figure out what to do next.

“I’m gonna go check over there,” Sting said after realizing he was getting nothing done. He began walking towards another aisle of the back shelves.

Gray nodded in approval and continued to search for a book with Natsu.

“Man, these research papers are gonna be the end of me someday,” Sting sighed, walking into a random aisle. His sapphire eyes scanned quickly through the titles, glancing tiredly at the boring covers. To him, books were just pieces of wood with words on them. They weren’t special in any way.

He continued looking through the books, and just when he was about to give up, his eyes landed on a large, ancient-looking book. The title of this hazelnut-colored book was, _Kyūkimon_ , or _Nine Demon Gates_.

“Alright, sweet!” Sting exclaimed at his luck, rushing over to grab it before anybody else could.

He placed his hand on the spine, gripping it firmly. _Score,_ he thought to himself, grinning. Just as he was starting to pull it out of the shelf, he noticed that the book wasn’t coming out. He raised an eyebrow, now trying to pull harder, but the book continued going back in the opposite direction.

“The hell?!” Sting whisper-yelled. He continued tugging on the book, his force matched evenly on the other side. The book didn’t look like it was going to budge.

The tug-of-war went on for a couple of seconds, and right when Sting was going to put all his energy into the final pull, Natsu and Gray, who were having another petty argument and tumbling around the ground (only God knows when or how that started), crashed into the bookshelf. It collapsed almost immediately, causing all the books fell off in piles, burying Sting and whoever was grabbing it on the other side underneath.

Gray and Natsu froze when the loud crash made everyone’s attention turn to them. Levy glared daggers at them which really didn’t make the situation any better.

“Natsu Dragneel! Gray Fullbuster!” Levy shouted, pushing her glasses up her face. “You two get detention after school! Library duty for two hours!”

“WHAT?!” they both shrieked, letting go of each other.

“You heard me," she said sincerely.

“But it’s already after school!” Natsu cried.

“Yeah, after you guys are done with your project, I expect you to stay here and work. So if you want to get home before dinner you better work quick,” Levy warned, giving them a solemn look.

Natsu and Gray exchanged glances before yelling, “This is all your fault!” at each other and storming off in opposite directions.

Sting popped his head out from underneath the mass of books that fell on him and took a deep breath. “Jeez, all I wanted was one book...” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

“Need a hand?” a voice asked, extending their arm out. Sting looked up and saw Rogue, who was smiling at him nervously.

“Oh yeah, thanks Rogue!” Sting smiled, taking his hand. Rogue helped him up and Sting brushed himself off, breathing out a sigh of relief.

“Is this the book you were looking for?” Rogue inquired, holding up the Nine Demon Gates book.

“Yeah! How’d you find it?” Sting questioned, taking it from Rogue.

“Heh...I was trying to get it but it looks like we grabbed it at the same time,” Rogue admitted, fidgeting his fingers.

“Wait...that was you? Holy crap, I’m sorry!” Sting apologized, his eyes widening.

“It’s okay,” Rogue assured with a smile. “A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sting nodded with a grin. “What about you?”

“I think I’m okay...my head hurts a little though,” Rogue said, surprising himself. That had just slipped out. It wasn’t common for him to let people know of his pain. He didn’t like sharing that information. 

“O-oh no...are you hurt? Let me see..!” Sting panicked a little, setting the book down on a table beside them. He quickly reached for Rogue’s forehead, brushing his bangs aside and checking for any bruises. Rogue blushed at his touch. “Shit...you have a little bump on your forehead...!”

“Th-that’s okay, Sting, I’m fine...” Rogue tried to tell him, but Sting had already taken off to find Gray.

“Gray! Can you make ice for me?” Sting asked, running up to him. Gray specialized in ice make magic, so people went to him sometimes whenever they needed an ice pack.

“Yeah,” Gray answered without hesitation, forming some ice in his hands. “By the way, if you haven’t heard, Natsu and I got library duty.”

“What? When?” Sting asked, taking the ice from Gray. The density of the books probably blocked out all outside sounds.

“We kinda crashed into that bookshelf over there,” Gray explained. “Levy says we have to work for two hours after we finish working on our project before we can go home.”

“Bro you’ll end up going home super late then,” Sting frowned, feeling a bit worried for his friend. “Hey, Rogue and I found a book about the demons. Why don’t we just start off by picking one out and then do our research tomorrow? I mean we already have a head start. A bunch of other students probably won’t even start till Thursday night.”

“Good point, sounds like a plan,” Gray smiled, fist-bumping Sting. “Bring the book back to our table. Meanwhile, Natsu and I will go return the laptops since we don’t need them anymore. And thanks.”

“’Kay,” Sting nodded. “Meet ya back in five. And you're welcome.”

Sting raced back over to Rogue and wrapped the ice in a paper towel. Ignoring Rogue’s protesting, he gently pressed the ice to the bump on Rogue’s forehead before breathing out a sigh of relief. “Phew, thank god Gray is here.”

“Sting...you didn’t have to,” Rogue whispered, glancing at him every other second.

“No, but I did anyway,” Sting smiled. “Now let’s go back to our table. Today we’re just gonna pick out the demon and start the research tomorrow. I hope that’s fine with you...sorry, my friends got detention...again... and I don’t want them to stay here too late..”

“No, it’s okay!” Rogue quickly assured, smiling. He admired the fact that Sting had such a pure heart. “I’m glad you care so much for their well-being.”

“Ah...yeah,” Sting grinned, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

The two of them walked back to the table where Natsu and Gray were waiting patiently. They had thrown away all the food wrappers and returned the laptops, saving them a lot of work.

Rogue took a seat in his chair, sitting next to Sting. Gray and Natsu sat on the other side, secretly holding hands under the table. It was a forbidden action but they usually managed to hide it pretty well.

“Ultimate guide of the book of demons, and the ultimate guide to an A,” Sting announced once they were all seated. He pushed the book to the middle of the table so everyone could see it.

“This is great!” Natsu smiled, using his free hand to flip through the pages. “Woah...look at all these epic demons!”

“Guess this won’t be so boring after all,” Gray said, looking at the white dragon slayer. “There ya have it, Sting. This’ll be exciting.”

Natsu and Rogue paged through the book and quickly analyzed the content. Each demon looked very unique and interesting, but they wanted to research one that nobody else would pick.

Natsu reached the end of the book and was just about to turn back to the beginning when he noticed a jutted out edge on the back cover. “Woah, a hidden flap!” he loud-whispered, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The others’ eyes directed themselves towards Natsu's finger, glancing at where he was pointing. Natsu carefully peeled it open, and his eyes widened when he looked inside. The ink was very faded, but it was good enough to be legible.

Gray’s eyes widened the most, simply because of the name of one of the two demons that were locked away underneath the hidden flap. “S-Silver...Fullbuster...”

Sting looked up at Gray, his mouth opening slightly. “I-Isn’t that your father’s name?”

Gray nodded slowly, unable to believe his eyes which were glistening with appall. This was some sort of joke, wasn’t it? Or maybe it was just a coincidence? Gray hoped so. “We’re researching this one, Sting. That cool with you?”

“Yeah..sure..” Sting nodded, still a bit shocked. Fear and excitement ran through his veins all at once. Researching your best friend’s dead father that was supposedly a demon surely wasn’t something that anyone would expect doing.

“Check this out, Rogue!” Natsu said, pushing the book towards his partner. “There’s a demon called E.N.D and he was Zeref’s most powerful creation! I’d say we research that one. It sounds epic!”

“S-Sure,” Rogue nodded in agreement.

“Of course you’d choose that one,” Gray chuckled, elbowing Natsu gently in the ribs.

“Then it’s settled!” Sting exclaimed, taking the book. “I’ll keep this with me and bring it back tomorrow. Let’s meet back here again after school tomorrow. Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Natsu, Gray, and Rogue all agreed in unison.

The four of them stood up and packed their bags, getting ready to leave. Well, only Sting and Rogue could actually leave. Natsu and Gray were stuck for another two hours.

“Library duty time,” Natsu groaned, glancing at Gray as he threw his backpack back onto the floor.

“Well, we better start now,” Gray sighed, standing up and quickly releasing Natsu’s hand.

“I’ll stay and help for a couple of minutes,” Sting said, shoving the book into his backpack.

“You don’t have to, Sting,” Natsu told him. “Gray and I got this. Thanks, though.”

“I will. I got nothing better to do anyway,” Sting shrugged, walking towards the toppled bookshelf.

“I-I’ll help too,” Rogue said.

“You too?” Gray asked.

Rogue nodded. He wanted to spend more time with his new friends, even if it was spent picking up tons of books and reorganizing them. After all, he felt like he owed it to them for being so kind and welcoming him into the group so quickly.

“Ah man, you guys are killin’ me,” Natsu whined. He tapped his forefinger on his chin, thinking. “Okay, I’ll agree to let you help, but only for thirty minutes. And then you gotta leave. Got it?”

“Sure,” Sting agreed.

“Alrighty then. Gray and I will take care of this side, you two take the other,” Natsu told them, pointing towards the right.

Sting nodded and walked to the other side with Rogue, a couple of feet away from where Gray and Natsu were. He immediately got to work, kneeling down and picking up stacks of books. Rogue followed lead, picking up some books from the corner. 

“Hey, Rogue,” Sting called as he set the stacked books on the table.

“Y-yes?” Rogue answered, looking up.

“You like books, don’t you?” Sting asked, reorganizing the stacked books.

Rogue nodded, smiling slightly.

“What’s so good about them?”

It was a simple question, but Rogue wasn’t expecting it. What was good about them? Rogue could give him many, many reasons.

“What do you mean by that?”

“S-sorry...I didn’t mean to offend you or anything...it’s just out of curiosity really...I want to know why books are appealing to some people. I just don’t see what’s so special about them.” Sting took his stacked book pile and began placing the books back onto the shelf which had been lifted back into place.

“Books are a gateway to another world,” Rogue told him, passion glistening in his ruby eyes. “They’re also an escape from reality. Whenever you feel down, books will lead you to another, better world and you can let your imagination run free. Everything has a purpose and meaning, you can connect with the characters, and you can read about an amazing story that’s either an exciting adventure or an emotional rollercoaster. There are many genres to read from, and I personally love all of them. I do prefer mystery though. You might find one you like as well.”

“Woah...you just made reading books sound fun,” Sting gasped, his eyes now sparkling. His frown returned quickly, however. “B-but...all the books we are assigned to read in class and boring as hell...I don’t see any awesomeness in them like you just described...”

“Ah, because those are just classics,” Rogue said, picking up his stack of books and standing next to Sting. “I’ll admit those aren’t the most fun to read, but there are a lot more books that I’m sure you’ll love.” Rogue blushed a little, feeling a bit embarrassed about talking so much. Sting surprisingly wasn’t weirded out at all that the quiet kid was showing his true colors. He actually seemed happy about it. “Y-you were interested in my book, right?”

“Oh yeah! That secret one?” Sting placed the last book in his stack on the shelf and grinned. “Oh and about the classic thing...wow, I never knew there were books other than those boring ones from class. No wonder.”

Rogue nodded, beginning to place the books he collected onto their respective shelves. Sting took half the stack from him and helped him out, making the process go by a whole lot faster.

“You’re still gonna let me borrow that once you’re done, right?” Sting asked, nudging Rogue’s shoulder. Rogue nodded again, smiling. “I’m sure anything you’re interested in is something I’ll love too.”

“Heh..yeah..” Rogue chuckled nervously, wishing that was true. If Sting knew what Rogue really was interested in, he probably wouldn’t even be talking to him right now.

The two dragon slayers continued picking up and stacking books for the next few minutes, occasionally glancing at each other to make sure the other was doing okay. 

Rogue was happy he’d made friends with Sting so quickly, but one thought in his mind still remained. If he only became friends with Sting just today, why did he feel like he knew him from before? The thought itself haunted him, and he didn’t understand at all why he felt that way. The funny thing was that it was only with Sting. He didn’t feel this eerie sensation with Natsu or Gray or anyone else. Maybe a little bit, but not as much. It felt so weird and foreign to him, so he decided to ignore it. He was probably just tired. 

“Oi, idiots! Go home now, it’s been thirty minutes!” Natsu called from the other end of the library. 

Rogue snapped out of his daze and whirled his head around. Was it time already?

“Well I did tell him we’d leave in thirty minutes...” Sting sighed, placing the last few books onto the shelf. “Let’s go, Rogue.”

Rogue nodded and picked up his bag along with Sting’s, handing Sting’s bag to him. Sting thanked him and smiled.

“Yo, Natsu and Gray, we’re headin’ out,” Sting called as he pulled the door open. Rogue stepped out and waited for Sting on the opposite side. “Don’t stay too long, and make sure ya get home in time for dinner!”

“Sure, mom!” Natsu and Gray waved, snickering.

Sting rolled his eyes and exited the library, meeting Rogue outside the school. He turned to face Rogue and smiled. “Hey, I’ll walk you home. That okay with you?”

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to...a-and I kinda live far from here,” Rogue told him anxiously.

“No problem. All the more reason for me to accompany you,” Sting grinned. “Is your forehead okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Rogue assured, smiling. He was glad that Sting cared so much. “But do you really want to-”

“Yes,” Sting cut in with determination. “And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Rogue sighed in defeat and began walking, leading Sting towards his desolate house.

The first few minutes of the walk were quiet, but Rogue was itching to talk to Sting about the strange feeling. He tried to ignore it, but it continued haunting him. Rogue guessed it was something important, and that it wasn’t something he could ignore. They had walked halfway towards their destination when Rogue finally spoke up.

“Sting...can I talk to you about something?” Rogue asked nervously, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Uh, yeah! Of course!” Sting responded, a bit startled from the sudden break in silence. He turned to look at his friend. “What’s up?”

“D-do we know each other?”

“Wh-what?” 

“I’m asking if...well...”

“Of course we know each other...we met like a few minutes ago, didn’t we? Or am I dreaming...?”

“Not like that,” Rogue said, his fingers fidgeting. He bit his lip, trying to reword his statement. “I mean from like somewhere else. H-have we met before?”

“Um...I-I don’t think so...” Sting scratched his head, trying to think. “I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve met you. Not that I regret it, though. I’m actually glad! You’re pretty awesome.”

Rogue pressed his lips together. Maybe he was just crazy. He probably needed some rest, that’s all. Bringing Sting into a nonexistent problem was something he didn’t want to do. I mean, how stupid was it to bring your new friend into your personal problems? Since when did Rogue ever talk about his problems at all? Surely today was weird, and all Rogue wanted to do now was go home and relax.

After that little conversation, the silence returned for the rest of the way. Sting had taken notice of how far Rogue lived from the school, but he didn’t mind. He was just concerned for Rogue’s safety. 

As they approached Rogue’s apartment, Sting stopped him on the way. 

“Hey, why don’t you take the bus?” Sting asked, tilting his head. “Do you really walk all this way on your own?”

Rogue nodded, biting his lip. “I-I don’t like taking the bus.”

“Is it because you’re afraid you’ll be alone?”

Rogue had more reasons, such as his social anxiety and fear of big crowds, but he didn’t mention that. “S-sort of...” 

“I’ll be on the bus tomorrow,” Sting told him with a smile. “Natsu and Gray will be there too, so we’ll sit with you for sure. Don't worry, you won’t be alone.”

Sting’s blue eyes looked full of hope, and Rogue simply couldn’t refuse the offer. “Okay, I’ll be on the bus tomorrow. B-but only because you asked me to.” He was slightly frustrated about how easily he was able to give in to Sting.

“That’s awesome!” Sting exclaimed, his smile widening. “Well Rogue, goodnight! Can’t wait to see ya tomorrow! Hopefully we can get to know each other more now that we’re friends!” He headed back in the opposite direction, waving to Rogue as he disappeared into the distance.

Rogue waved back shyly before entering his house. _Today was...different_ , he thought. 

As he stepped into his house, Rogue couldn’t help but to fear and be excited of what tomorrow’s events would bring him. All he knew that it would sure be a surprise, whether it was good or not. He’d just have to wait to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see any grammatical errors? I feel like there are some but I didn't catch them o: If you find any, even if it's a small mistake, can you let me know? :D


	14. Every Life is Complicated, Every Mind a Kingdom of Unmapped Mysteries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recap of last chapter:  
> Sting, Rogue, Natsu, and Gray met at the library to find a book that will help them with their research project. Natsu and Rogue chose E.N.D, while Gray and Sting chose Silver Fullbuster. Due to a little chaos, they were forced to end their little session early. On the way home, Rogue asks Sting if he knew him from somewhere, but Sting claims he doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Finally have an update! I made this one longer than normal so you all can have something that will last! Hope you enjoy, and thank you for your patience!

The first thing Rogue noticed before he stepped out of the house the next morning was a vase full of flowers. 

They weren’t just ordinary flowers either. Chrysanthemums, as he was able to indicate. There was a variety of colors placed inside the delicate porcelain—yellow, red, violet, and white to be exact. 

No, it wasn’t weird to see flowers in his house. Almost everyone had some. The thing that caused Rogue to raise concern was the fact that they looked shiny, mystical, and even magical in a sense. _Surreal_ , as Rogue liked to put it. 

 _But what’s so special about these flowers_ , he wondered. Out of curiosity, he picked one up and examined it; feeling the texture, sniffing the aroma, and admiring the color. 

He almost felt like he was lost in some sort of maze in that moment. It was an unfamiliar place with a way out, but with nothing to guide him there. He was a lost child in an enormous, bustling city.

Before he let himself get carried away, Rogue realized that he had less than five minutes to make it to school as indicated by the leather watch locked onto his wrist. He put the flower back in the vase, contemplating how it would be possible for him to make it that far in time, but then he remembered that he promised Sting he would take the bus.

Rogue let out a sigh, wondering how he could’ve let himself promise something such as that. Questions and concerns ran through his mind, forcing him to overthink things that a normal person wouldn’t see as such a problem. Things like: _What if there wasn’t a seat for him? What if people made fun of him for wearing all black? What if people laughed at him as he clumsily made his way down the aisle?_

Rogue didn’t like to break promises, but there was no way in hell he could take the bus with those pieces of information plaguing his mind. He could already see it: having to sit on the floor because no seats would be left, kids throwing their school supplies at him while calling him an “emo freak,” and more people laughing at him as he tripped on the way down the aisle. He shuddered at the unpleasantness of it all.

“Sorry, Sting,” he apologized out loud as if he could hear him right now. “I just can’t do it.”

He didn’t deserve friends anyway, or at least that’s what he thought. Sting would probably never want to talk to him again for betraying him. He was breaking a promise. Rogue didn’t want to think about it, but of course his mind wasn’t letting him be comfortable or at ease.

So, as the voice in his head started yelling at him for being a wimp and a traitor, he twisted open the door knob and let himself out of the house. He locked the door before walking onto the street, slowly making his way towards school. Great, not only would he be late to school, but Sting would probably hate him when he got there.

Rogue quickly ran through the wet grass, not caring about the mud splashing onto his pants. He couldn’t afford to be late, so he was somewhat determined to be there as early possible. Mainly because he didn’t think he could deal with having everyone’s eyes on him when he interrupted class. He was so lost in his thoughts about facing Sting and the punishment he’d receive for his tardiness that he didn’t notice the giant yellow vehicle driving in front of him. 

The school bus blared out a loud honk, making Rogue nearly jump out of his skin. He stopped in his tracks, skidding to a halt. His heart flipped in his chest as sweat trailed from his temples.

 _Oh, God,_ he thought. _I really hope nobody saw that…I need to be more careful._

He closed his eyes and rubbed his arms before taking a deep breath. He was making sure he was still alive, and according to his senses, he still was. 

Rogue proceeded to follow down the usual road to school when suddenly, the sound of the bus horn was heard once more. He froze again, shuddering. Was it honking at him or something else?

He slowly turned around, glancing at the bus with worried eyes. His enhanced hearing picked up voices from inside.

“Sting, go back to your seat! What the hell are you doing here?!” an adult voice scolded. Rogue guessed this was the bus driver. But wait, _Sting_? Then that meant…

Rogue swallowed the lump in his throat. Just his luck to be caught red-handed by something he was trying to avoid. Maybe if he just walked away slowly…

“Rogue!” Sting’s voice called, making Rogue flinch for the third time that morning. The white dragon slayer poked his head from the window, waving like a maniac. “Over here!”

“Get your ass back on the bus, idiot!” Gray hissed, grabbing the back of Sting’s shirt and tugging him back before he fell out the window. 

Rogue snuck a glance at him, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, um, h-hi.”

“Come on, get on the bus!” Sting continued, sticking his head out the window again despite Gray’s pulling.

There was no way he could get out of this one now. Rogue inhaled a deep breath and waddled over to the bus in embarrassment. The bus driver opened the door for him, and Rogue didn’t even have to worry about tripping the way up because Sting instantly grabbed his arm and pulled him up. 

“Glad you could make it!” Natsu smiled from beside Sting, waving. 

Rogue shyly waved back. 

“Here, we saved you a seat!” Sting told him, pulling Rogue over to a seat in the front. Sting took the window seat while Rogue sat beside him, all words lost in his throat. Gray and Natsu sat in the seat right behind them. 

“Ready for school?” Sting asked, attempting to start a conversation.

“Sting Eucliffe, please don’t ever do that again,” the bus driver cut in with a groan. “Let me remind you that standing up while we’re in the middle of the road, honking the horn, and grabbing the steering wheel as I’m driving is-“

“Yeah, yeah, not proper bus safety. Sorry,” Sting waved off, annoyed. 

“Be sure to remember that,” he told him strictly.

“Will do, sir,” Sting agreed, hoping to get back to his conversation with Rogue. He signaled him to go on.

“U-um, sort of I guess,” Rogue answered once Sting looked at him again. 

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m not ready either. But at least there’s one thing I can look forward to for today,” Sting said, crossing his arms behind his head.

“What’s that?” Rogue wondered.

“I get to hang out with you. For the project, remember?” Sting smiled, nudging Rogue with his shoulder.

“Oh, right!” Rogue exclaimed, suddenly remembering. 

Sting gave him a warm smile, but it faded as quickly as it had come. “Awe man, we have math first period,” he groaned. “I’m gonna dieeeee.”

“Quit being so dramatic,” Natsu teased, poking Sting’s forehead from behind.

“Seriously, Natsu. I can’t stand math,” he started, tilting his head back so he could look at the fire dragon slayer. “I get it and all, but sitting through that class is hell.”

“At least you don’t fail your tests!” Natsu exclaimed, less disappointed about that fact than one normally would be. 

“They’re not as fun if you keep acing them without any effort!”

“How much longer till we get there? I can’t stand the two of you being so energetic this early in the morning,” Gray mumbled, placing his palm on his forehead. “I’m so freakin’ tired.”

“Did ya stay up too late?” Sting wondered, getting on his knees and turning around so he could face him.

“That fanfiction I was reading was good, alright?” Gray admitted sheepishly, resting his forehead on the back of Sting and Rogue’s seat.

Sting and Natsu started laughing, but Rogue definitely knew what he meant. Rogue tended to tire himself out by staying up late reading as well.

“Shut up, assholes,” Gray muttered. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Grumpy Gray’s back!” Sting announced.

“Sting, you better turn around and sit down before-“

The bus came to a screeching halt, and the sudden stop made Sting tumble to his side, where he landed on Rogue’s lap. 

Rogue blinked twice trying to make sense of what just happened before his face began to heat up.

Natsu and Gray started snickering as they watched the two red-faced teens try to sit upright while they frantically apologized to each other.

It was hard for Sting to sit up because of the wobbling movement of the bus, so he was just on Rogue’s lap for a couple of seconds, trying to hide his embarrassment. He hoped Rogue wasn’t too freaked out.

Rogue felt his heart stop for a good ten seconds and thought he was going to pass out. He didn’t know what to do or say, so he just sat there, stunned in silence with Sting on his lap.

Talk about awkward.

Luckily, the bus arrived at school pretty quickly. The second the bus came to a stop, Sting lifted himself off Rogue and grabbed his arm, pulling him off so they wouldn’t have to sit through people’s variously expressed glances.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Sting apologized after they descended the steps onto the sidewalk. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rogue confirmed, letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “How about you?”

“I’m good,” Sting nodded. “Jeez, I messed up pretty bad, didn’t I?”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Rogue assured with a smile. His face cooled off a bit, returning to the normal pale-ish color. “You didn’t do it on purpose.”

The other students filed out of the bus, heading towards the entrance of the school. Rogue glanced at his right hand which was being held by Sting. His cheeks flushed, but Sting didn’t seem to notice. He decided not to mention it as they waited.

Natsu and Gray always liked to get off the bus last for some reason, so Sting and Rogue’s waiting time was longer than everyone else’s. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people, so they’d be stuck there for at least five minutes until Natsu and Gray would finally get off.

Rogue glanced at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with anyone, when all of a sudden, someone’s voice made him look up.

“Oh hey, it’s that new kid,” the person chuckled, pointing at Rogue. 

Sting raised an eyebrow, wondering where that was going.

“Check out what he’s wearing,” another person snickered, gesturing at his clothes. “Talk about an emo. What’s with all the black?”

“An emo freak,” person one finished, laughing. That made Rogue cringe, but he wasn’t done. “I bet he listens to that music where they scream a lot. I wonder, does he wear piercings too?” 

He reached out to touch Rogue, but Sting immediately swooped in, smacking his hand away.

“Keep your filthy hands off of him,” he warned menacingly.

“Wow, Sting, how low have you sunk? Hanging out with someone like him?” the boy continued, mocking Rogue even further.

Rogue hung his head low, turning away. He thought he wouldn’t have to deal with this, but boy was he wrong. It was stupid of him to assume such a thing.

“You piece of…” Sting growled, clenching his fists in anger. “Quit making fun of him before I knock your fucking teeth in.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” he said sarcastically, pretending to shake in fear. 

“Sting, it’s okay,” Rogue whispered, breaking free of Sting’s grip on his hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your reputation. I’ll go.”

“Yeah, go back to your depressed little corner while you cut your arms for fun,” the second boy continued, sticking his tongue out.

Rogue felt tears sting his eyes. He quickly turned around and was about to take off when Sting grabbed his arm.

“Rogue, wait here. You don’t have to leave just because these shitheads want you to. Just give me one fucking second,” he said in a voice so low to the point where it was almost terrifying.

“Dude, just walk away. He looks pissed,” the other boy warned, stepping back.

“Nah, I can take him,” the first boy grinned cockily.

“Yo, we’re here!” Natsu announced, stepping off the bus with Gray. He turned his head and saw Sting seething with rage. “Woah there, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. And I thought Gray was the grumpy one.”

“What’s going on?” Gray questioned, his eyes widening as Sting readied a punch.

“Nothing,” Rogue answered quickly, biting his lip.

“Hey, you okay?” Gray asked, walking up to Rogue and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you-?”

“I..um..” Rogue began, unsure of how to answer.

“YOU STEREOTYPING JERK!” Sting roared, punching the first boy square in the face. He fell backwards, blood spurting out of his nose. “MAKE FUN OF ROGUE AGAIN AND I’LL DO WORSE!”

“Awesome, we get to fight?!” Natsu grinned, pounding his fist into his palm. “I’m all fired up!”

“No you idiot!” Gray yelled, grabbing Natsu by the collar before turning to Sting. “Sting, what the hell are you doing?”

“Teaching this punk a lesson,” Sting huffed, unclenching his fist.

“Quit acting like children. Do you two seriously always have to start fights every time you see someone?” Gray sighed in disbelief before turning to Sting. “I know Natsu likes to start fights, but you don’t as much as he does. Did I miss something?”

“Forget it. Let’s go,” Sting gripped his backpack in his hands and walked off, leaving his three friends in confusion. They shook it off in no time, though.

“We better hurry. We only have five minutes to get to class,” Gray pointed out, checking his watch.

“Rogue, is something wrong?” Natsu asked, noticing the shadow dragon slayer’s pained expression.

Rogue shook his head in response. “Nothing to worry about. We should get going.”

Natsu shrugged and shot Gray a glance before the three of them walked into the building, making their way to first period.

* * *

“…and to end class, I’m giving you this review worksheet. You don’t have to do it now if you don’t want to, but if you don’t finish it now, it’ll be homework.” Their math teacher passed back a worksheet to everyone as they groaned.

“I don’t understand why you dread this class so much, Sting,” Natsu whined, threading his fingers through his hair. “At least you understand what we’re learning!”

“Well that’s the problem! I don’t get why I need to be here if I already know most of this crap. It’s even worse when you have to pretend like you don’t know anything to make it through the year,” Sting sighed, resting his forehead on the desk. 

“Honestly I don’t care about this class,” Gray stated flatly, leaning back against his chair. “I just do what I gotta do, take the test, and forget everything after taking it.”

As Gray was talking, Sting kept his eyes fixed on Rogue. He hadn’t said anything since they sat down after the first bell. He still couldn’t believe the nerve the guy from earlier had to say that stuff about Rogue. He could tell that Rogue was hurting inside, but he didn’t want to bring it up. Something inside of him told him that Rogue would rather keep it to himself. Sting decided that he would talk to him about it when they got a chance to be alone.

The review sheet was then handed to their table, pulling him out of his thoughts. Sting grabbed one from the center and looked at the problems with incredulity. “Seriously? This is from, like, middle school! Why are we doing this now?!” he whispered aloud.

“Aw sweet, easy stuff!” Natsu cheered. “I’m just gonna save this for later (which, in case you didn’t know, meant that it would be left untouched). Gray, arm wrestle me!”

Gray chuckled in response, giving Natsu a sideways glance. “You know you can’t win.”

“Try me, Snowflake!” Natsu challenged, holding his arm out.

“Alright, Pyro, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya!” Gray smirked, holding Natsu’s hand.

Sting rolled his eyes at them and clicked his pen. He didn’t like saving his work for later, so he began working on it right away. 

The first section of the worksheet was filled with FOILing problems. Sting could practically do these with his eyes closed. He wrote the formula at the top and began the first problem when he realized something. His smile widened as he looked over at Rogue.

“Rogue!” Sting whispered, gently tapping his shoulder.

Rogue turned his head, staring at Sting’s paper. “Hm?”

“I’ve gotta show you something,” he grinned, holding up his pen proudly. _Natsu and Gray may not match my sense of humor, but I’m sure Rogue will love this,_ he thought with confidence.

“Sure, what is it?” Rogue wondered, feeling a smile tug at the edge of his lips. How was Sting able to lift his mood so easily?

“Okay, watch me write this,” Sting commanded, scribbling something on the edge of his paper. 

Rogue could make out the letters as this: (p + l)(a + n) 

He watched as Sting wrote something else under it. Rogue didn’t know what he was doing, but was nonetheless interested in finding out. 

Sting jot down this underneath the first line: pa + pn + la + pn

Rogue raised an eyebrow, not understanding it.

“Get it?” Sting asked, shaking with excitement.

“Uh…give me a sec…” Rogue paused, trying to figure it out, but his mind went blank.

“I foiled the plan, haha!!” Sting explained after a few seconds.

Rogue’s eyes widened in amazement. He was impressed. That was actually quite clever. “Wow…did you come up with that?”

Sting nodded enthusiastically. “I’m pretty awesome, aren’t I?”

“Y-yeah,” Rogue agreed with a smile.

“I’m glad you appreciate my jokes unlike those two,” Sting said irritably, pointing at Natsu and Gray with his pen, who were currently death arm wrestling each other. From their intensity, Rogue wouldn’t be surprised if they fell off their chairs.

Rogue’s eyes shifted to the table, suddenly finding the brown paint peeling off the desk to be very interesting. His eyes fixated on the crippling paint, watching it as if it held some sort of secret. Sting caught onto this action of his soon enough, not taking it as a good sign.

“Hey, Rogue,” Sting called, lowering his voice. “Are you upset about what those jerks said to you this morning?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Rogue responded flatly, masking the pain he felt inside.

“Oh, okay,” Sting nodded, not wanting to push it against him. “But hey, if they say anything to you ever again, I’m here for you. Okay?”

Rogue nodded, suddenly feeling a huge wave of relief wash over him. That’s all he really wanted to hear for so long. For someone to tell him that they would be there for him. Rogue’s funk crumbled away as a ray of light emerged from within him. He was smiling now, unable to stop the edges of his mouth from curling upwards. 

He turned to Sting, a small blush dusting his pale cheeks. “Hey, Sting, I bet you can’t finish this work before I can.”

“I-Is this a challenge, Rogue?” Sting asked with surprise, his eyebrow raising in anticipation. The glint of determination in his ruby eyes gave him the answer. Sting grinned excitedly at his response and reflected that determination equally in his sapphire eyes.  “All right, you’re on!”

Sting and Rogue finished the worksheet as fast as they could. The sound of pencil scratching paper filled the room, and they were writing so fast that their paper may have ripped from the speed.

“Done!” the two of them yelled at the same time, holding up their worksheet triumphantly in the air. 

After realizing that they both finished at the same time, they glanced at each other and started laughing, setting the paper back down.

“Awe man, that’s the first time someone’s been on my level,” Sting chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat trickling from his forehead. “I gotta up my game.”

Rogue simply smiled in response, holding his hand out for a high five. Sting’s eyes sparkled as he enthusiastically high-fived Rogue, giving him a big smile.

As their eyes locked for the first time, the bell rang, pulling them out of the trance. Everyone packed — or rather, _shoved_ — their things into their bags, and the sounds of binders and zippers closing filled the room. In less than five minutes, all the students waved goodbye to the teacher and exited, heading to their next class.

Sting, Rogue, Natsu, and Gray made their way down the long hall to their next period, which was Chemistry. 

“Wait, we have a test, don’t we?!” Natsu cried out, abruptly stopping in the hall. “Crap, I forgot to study!”

“Aaaand there goes your grade,” Sting and Gray said at the same time as if it were some practiced routine. 

“Well this one only had three formulas you had to memorize, but there are a lot of definitions and properties you needed to know,” Gray explained, trying to remember what was on the study guide.

“I’ll just take my chances,” Natsu huffed, hanging his head low. “Why must tests exist…”

“You’ll do well, don’t worry!” Sting assured, wrapping an arm around Natsu’s shoulders. “Chemistry is your best subject after all.”

“Oh please, he only has a good grade in that class because a majority of it is based on our labs, and he’s obviously good at blowing stuff up,” Gray rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Gray!” Natsu shrieked. 

“We’ll just have to wait and find out, I guess,” Sting said as he pulled open the door to their classroom. “Good luck guys.”

They all nodded to each other and took their respective seats before starting the exam.

* * *

“That was easier than I thought!” Natsu exclaimed through a muffled voice as he stuffed a sandwich in his mouth. 

“Easy? You gotta be kidding, that made no sense to me!” Gray countered, slapping Natsu’s arm. “And cool it with the food, you’re gonna choke!”

Natsu didn’t bother listening to him as he swallowed the bite whole, even without chewing. “I don’t get what’s so hard about chemistry,” he said after wiping his mouth.

“Chemistry? More like che _MYSTERY_ since I have no idea what’s going on half the time.”

“Well that’s how I feel about calculus! Calculus, more like cal _KILLUS_ because each question makes me lose a piece of my sanity!”

Sting rolled his eyes, only finding their jokes somewhat amusing. Rogue simply chuckled softly to himself, thinking that those puns were pretty accurate and clever.

The four of them had just finished taking their chemistry test, which essentially took the entire period. They were now at lunch, sitting at their usual table. 

“Honestly I don’t know how I did at this point…” Sting mumbled as he took a bite of his white sauce pasta. He turned to Rogue, who was sitting beside him quietly. “How do you think you did, Rogue?”

Rogue simply shrugged. He did what he could, triple-checked his answers, and then turned it in.

“Gross, you have that weird white pasta again,” Natsu pointed out as he looked at Sting’s container, backing away as if his food was some sort of virus. 

“It’s actually good,” Sting defended, holding his pasta protectively. “It’s better than that red stuff!”

“How does one not like tomato sauce?!” Natsu shouted incredulously. “It’s the best thing ever!”

As Sting and Natsu continued their little argument about pasta and its sauces, Gray stopped to look at Rogue, who didn’t have a tray or lunchbox in front of him. “Don’t you have anything to eat?” He bit into his corn dog and took a swig of his chocolate milk. “Did ya forget your lunch at home?”

“U-Um, I guess?” he lied, rubbing the back of his head. In all honesty, Rogue wasn’t one to eat. He’d been skipping a lot of meals, and although it was bad for his health, he continued starving himself. He didn’t even know why, all he knew was that he didn’t want to eat more than once a day.

“C’mere, I’ll buy you something,” Sting said, standing up after slipping into their conversation.

“No, you really don’t have to,” Rogue said quickly. “I’m okay!”

“You have to eat something or else you’ll starve,” Sting pouted, reaching to grab Rogue’s arm. “I’m not letting my friend suffer. Come on.”

“B-but I’m not hungry!” 

Rogue’s stomach decided to betray him as it let out a growl, causing his face to redden. 

“Riiight,” Sting gave him a small smile, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s go.”

Rogue let out a sigh and stood up, allowing Sting to drag him to the lunch line. This was the second time today he let himself fall into Sting’s trap. It was trap that he didn’t mind being in, though. It made him feel happy. Safe. Protected. Different.

He bought a normal meal: a bowl of noodles, an apple juice, some grapes, and a chocolate chip cookie. Sting did most of the ordering though, and Rogue was thankful, because he would’ve had an anxiety attack if he had to talk to the lunch lady. 

When Sting handed him the tray of food, the sight of the cookie made his mouth water. Rogue loved chocolate more than anything and would often binge eat them whenever he was actually in the mood for food.

As they walked back to their seat, Sting and Rogue stopped short in their tracks when they noticed Natsu and Gray standing on the table, microphones clutched in their hands.

“Oh boy…not this again…” Sting sighed, glancing up at his friends.

“What’s going on?” Rogue wondered, looking around.

“Just wait and see. Trust me, it’s different every time, and it’s super embarrassing. But I guess I have to admit it’s pretty cool.”

Rogue had no idea what he was talking about so he stood there and watched Natsu and Gray, waiting for their next move. 

“Are ya ready guys?” Natsu asked, yelling into the microphone that nobody knew where he got from.

There was a chorus of uncertainty from around the room, but eventually some people decided to just nod their heads and say, “Uh, yeah?”

“I can’t hear yooooou,” Gray pressed, encouraging them to cooperate.

“Yeah!” More people shouted back this time, still confused.

Gray and Natsu looked at each other and nodded before singing — more like shouting, actually — into their microphones.

“OOOHHH, WHO LIVES WITH A GPA UNDER A C?”

Everyone caught onto the tune right away, responding with, “High School Stu-dents!”

“WHO’S LIVING WITH STRESS-INDUCED ANXIETY?”

“High School Stu-dents!”

“IF WANTING TO DROP OUT IS SOMETHING YOU WISH…!”

“High School Stu-dents!” Sting joined in as well, cheering with the majority of the audience. Rogue wanted to play along too but he was too nervous.

“…THEN TAKE A LONG NAP AND WATCH SOME NETFLIX!”

The students burst into a wave of applause, and Natsu and Gray bowed in gratitude.

“They do this a lot,” Sting explained, nudging Rogue in the arm with his elbow. “Pretty cool, don’t ya think?”

Rogue nodded, watching with an awe-stricken face as his two friends stepped down from the table and took their respective seats.

“C’mon, let’s go back to our table,” Sting said, walking towards the corner of the cafeteria.

Rogue followed close behind, taking his seat once they got there.

“That was pretty awesome,” Sting complimented with a grin, giving each of them a fist bump. “I’d never have the guts to do that.”

“You get used to it,” Gray stated with a small smirk. 

“Gotta make school fun at some point in the day,” Natsu added with nod. “Lunchtime is the only time where we aren’t watched like a freakin’ hawk.”

Rogue listened to their conversation, not bothering to say anything himself. He didn’t feel comfortable speaking unless someone invited him to, so he remained quiet and finished off his food.

As he took the last bite of his chocolate chip cookie, the dismissal bell rang. 

Sounds of shoes squeaking, dumping things into the trash, and the clatter of trays being stacked together echoed from around the cafeteria. Once everyone took care of their business, they headed to their final class, thanking the lords that the day was close to being over.

* * *

English class ended up being a breeze for Rogue and the others. All they had was a short lesson on symbolism and its various uses through different works of literature, and the last half of class was saved for independent reading time.

Rogue _loved_ independent reading time. It was the one time in class where everyone was silent, and they could go sit on the comfy bean bags lining the carpet at the edge of the room. What Rogue loved most, however, was the reading itself.

He carefully sat down on the one isolated bean bag in the far right corner of his classroom, immediately cracking open his book. 

 _The Name of This Book is Secret_ , the cover read. Finally, he would get to finish the novel. He’d been dying to figure out what was going to happen next.

From where he left off, the two main characters, Cass and Max-Ernest, had infiltrated a spa by the name of The Midnight Sun. They were on the hunt for two suspected villains named Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais, who they believed were responsible for the death of a magician that mysteriously disappeared. 

What led them was a story they located in the magician’s notebook which they found after sneaking into his house. They successfully cracked the code and formulated a plan, and Rogue was eager to find out how it would all play out.

Then, after school, when they went to the library to work on their projects, he would check out the second book in the series. 

So, with a brief summary in his mind, Rogue dived right in, as his teacher’s voice saying that they had a book talk to do slowly faded away into nothing.

* * *

“Thank God school is over,” Sting said with a relieved sigh, stretching his arms up into the air. “I could really go for a nap right about now.”

“Well we gotta start our project,” Gray reminded as they walked towards the library. “Don’t wanna procrastinate, we all know how that turned out last year.”

“I had to make up fifty assignments in a week!” Natsu exclaimed, his face scrunching up at the reminiscence. 

“I still can’t believe you managed to finish it in time,” Sting commented with a raised eyebrow. “I would’ve died.”

Natsu nodded. “Not only that, but if we procrastinate, the work will only pile up because of our other classes.” He let out a groan, wanting nothing more to just go outside, eat, or sleep.

“U-Um, did we have any English homework?” Rogue asked quietly, feeling the need to say something after being silent for so long.

“Yeah, we do,” Gray answered with a smile. “It’s a book talk. You just have to read a book of your choice and then talk about it in front of the class.”

Rogue swallowed nervously, already dreading the thought of having to present. Why were schools so persistent on making the anxious kids participate? Did they want to make school even worse?

“That must be nice for you, right? Since you love books and all,” Natsu stated with a grin.

“You should do it on that mystery book you told me about yesterday!” Sting piped up, leaning towards Rogue. “You’re still gonna let me borrow that afterwards, right?”

“O-of course!” Rogue quickly answered with a small blush. “I..actually finished it in class today.”

“Awesome!! I’ll take it off your hands now if you want,” Sting offered with a wink.

“Idiot, he needs it for his book talk. Take it afterwards,” Gray grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Oh, right. Didn’t think about that!” Sting said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He continued walking forward but bumped into Gray’s back. He blinked in confusion. “Huh? Why’d you stop?”

“Levy looks pissed off, and there are a hell of a lot of people in there,” Gray whispered, peering in through the window. “I’m not sure if we should work in there…”

Rogue shuddered at the thought. People were probably desperate to find research materials for their project.

“Let’s just go to our place then,” Natsu suggested, placing his hands on his hips. “I mean, we already have the book, right?” He turned to Sting, who nodded in confirmation.

“‘Our’ house?” Rogue wondered out loud.

“Oh, guess we forgot to tell you,” Sting said, clearing his throat. “Natsu, Gray, and I live in the same place.” He searched Rogue’s face for any signs of discomfort, but he seemed to be fine.

“That’s really nice,” Rogue nodded with a small smile. 

Natsu returned his smile. “Okay, then it’s all set! We’ll head over to our place to work on the project!”

The four of them backed away from the library unnoticed and made a beeline for the main doors. They headed out together, deciding to walk home because of the nice weather.

Rogue couldn’t wait to get started. To him, this whole project was like solving a mystery. 

And as we already know, Rogue was all for mysteries.


End file.
